There have been plenty of mass shootings before, and with each death toll comes the usual platitudes of 'thoughts and prayers' issued by politicians to the victims' families, with no changes to gun control laws to prevent massacres like this from happening again. In the aftermath of the Parkland shooting, in which 17 people were killed, there has been one stunning statistic that has been publicised: this was the 17th school shooting of 2018.

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This statistic, from the nonprofit group Everytown for Gun Safety, has been questioned by some. Their definition of a school shooting is defined as "any time a firearm discharges a live round inside a school building or on a school campus or grounds,” pointing out the obvious dangers of this occurring.

So what were the eighteen school shootings that already taken place this year?

1. Jan. 4 - Seattle, Washington

At New Start High School, shots were fired into an administrative office, sending the school into lockdown. The office was occupied at the time, but thankfully no one was injured. One round entered through the window and into a cabinet, and the shooter was never identified.

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2. Jan. 10, 2018 - Denison, Texas

A criminal justice club advisor was showing students how to use a computerized firearms simulator at Greyson College when the event took place. He placed his gun in an unlocked box and it was found by a student. Believing it wasn't loaded, they discharged the weapon, shooting through one wall, across a room and out a window.

3. Jan. 10, 2018 - San Bernadino, California

It was reported that several gunshots came through a window at California State University, sending the building into an immediate lockdown. Thankfully, no injuries were reported, but no suspects were ever apprehended.

4. Jan. 10, 2018 - Sierra Vista, Arizona

The Coronado Elementary School was put into lockdown when an active shooter was reported. It was later revealed that a 14-year-old student had shot himself in the bathroom, using a gun that belonged to one of his family members.

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5. Jan. 15, 2018 - Marshall, Texas

Gunshots were fired from a vehicle in the parking lot of a dormitory at Wiley College. The bullet entered through a window into a student's room, but no one was injured.

6. Jan. 20, 2018 – Winston-Salem, NC

A 21-year-old football player was shot and critically injured at a party at Wake Forest University. He later died of his wounds in hospital.

7. Jan. 22, 2018 – Gentilly, Louisiana

An unknown person in a pickup truck drove past The NET Charter High School and fired shots at students in the campus parking lot. The school was temporarily placed into lockdown, and two students were arrested for the incident. One 14-year-old boy was injured during the shooting.

8. Jan. 22, 2018 – Italy, Texas

16-year-old at Italy High School opened fire in a school cafeteria with a semi-automatic handgun. He wounded a fellow student. One student remarked that she had already reported incidents with the suspect on two occasions before.

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9. Jan. 23, 2018 - Benton, Kentucky

A 15-year-old student brought a handgun to Marshall County High School and opened fire in the atrium, killing two and injuring 18 others. He was charged with two counts of murder and 12 counts of first degree assault.

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10. Jan. 25, 2018 - Mobile, Alabama

An argument between two 16-year-olds escalated when one pulled out a handgun at Murphy High School. He fled from school administrators trying to calm him, firing five times during the incident.

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11. Jan. 26, 2018 - Dearborn, Michigan

Two individuals got into a fight at a basketball game at Dearborn High School. After they were apprehended and taken to the parking lot, a car drove up to one of the culprits and fired three to four gunshots before driving away.

12. Jan. 31, 2018 – Philadelphia, PA

A 32-year-old man was shot and killed outside of Lincoln High School during a basketball game. At least three different weapons were discharged during a fight.

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13. Feb. 1, 2018 - Los Angeles, California

A 12-year-old student at Salvador B. Castro Middle School brought a semi-automatic rifle to the school, but didn't fire it on purpose. The gun accidentally fired when she dropped her bag, with four students injured by the misfire.

It's unclear why she brought the gun to the school, but was seen crying and repeating "I didn't mean it" afterwards. One victim, a 15-year-old boy, received a gunshot wound to the head, but thankfully survived.

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14. Feb. 5, 2018 - Maplewood, MN

A third-grader at Harmony Learning Center pressed the trigger on a school liaison officer's gun. Despite being outfitted with a trigger guard, it discharged and fired at the floor.

15. Feb. 5, 2018 – Oxon Hill, Maryland

A junior at Oxon Hill High School was shot twice in a school parking lot during an attempted robbery. The 17-year-old thankfully recovered.

16. Feb. 8, 2018 - Longwood, New York City

A 17-year-old fired a gun in a classroom at Metropolitan High School. Police took the student into custody and no injuries were reported.

17. Feb. 14, 2018 - Parkland, Florida

A former student of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School opened fire using an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle he bought legally, killing 17 people and injuring 15 others. The gunman, 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz, was arrested and charged shortly afterwards.

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18. Feb. 28 - Dalton, Georgia

It just goes to show how frequent gun incidents are in the US that I had to add another entry to this list before I finished writing it. A teacher at Dalton High School barricaded himself inside a classroom with a gun after firing it several times. He was taken into custody after a 45-minute standoff with police.

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The Florida shooting is clearly the worst example on this list, which is the reason why it has become such a major news story in recent times. However, the mere act of a firearm going off in a school setting is a scary thought, given how we expect these institutions to be a safe space where our children can learn and grow in peace.

An 18-year-old student is in police custody after four people were seriously injured in a shooting at Timberview High School in Arlington, Texas.

On Wednesday morning, a fight is believed to have broken out in a classroom before the student began to open fire, CNN reports.

The 18-year-old suspect, an 18-year-old man named Timothy Simpkins fled the scene in a vehicle, according to authorities. When he was located by police, he was charged with three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

As reported by ABC News, there were four victims altogether - three of whom were students, and one who is thought to be a teacher.

Three out of the four victims were taken to hospital including a 15-year-old boy who had gunshot wounds and was in a critical condition, a 25-year-old man who suffered gunshot wounds but was in a good condition, and a teenage girl with abrasions who has now been discharged.

A family member has named English teacher Calvin Pettitt as one of the victims.

Simpkins spoke to a lawyer before turning himself in without incident just before 1:15 PM. According to law enforcement, he has been booked into the Arlington City Jail. His bond has been set at $75,000.

Police have stated that the incident was not a random act of violence and alleged that Simpkins had been involved in a fight before the shooting, which occurred at about 9:15 AM in a classroom on the second floor of the building.

In an interview with ABC News, a teacher revealed that when he heard the sound of gunshots, he barricaded himself with his students inside a classroom.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott has since released a statement about the ordeal:

"Our hearts go out to the victims of this senseless act of violence. Thank you to the law enforcement officers and first responders who arrived on the scene to help the victims and prevent further violence.

"I have spoken with the Mayor of Arlington and offered any assistance the state can provide, and I have directed the Texas Department of Public Safety to make state resources available to help bring the criminal to justice."

Featured image credit: Andor Bujdoso / Alamy

At least 17 people were killed at a shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Coral Springs, Florida. Multiple people have been injured, but we are still waiting for an exact number at this time. After a massive manhunt, police apprehended the shooter without incident, and brought him into custody. The suspect has been identified as 19-year-old Nicolas de Jesus Cruz. Cruz attended the school at one time, but is not enrolled there right now. The other students describe him as "troubled," and obsessed with firearms. "I stayed clear of him most of the time," one teen told WSVN. "He’s been a troubled kid, and he’s always had a certain amount of issues going on. He shot guns because he felt it gave him, I guess, an exhilarating feeling." Another former classmate said, "I didn’t want to cause any conflict with him because of the impression he gave off." "There were problems with him last year threatening students," said Jim Gard, a math teacher who previously taught Cruz. "I guess he was asked to leave campus. We were told last year that he wasn’t allowed on campus with a backpack on him." [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/CBSMiami/status/963869227563343873]] Television footage of the scene showed a war zone; every parent's worst nightmare. Emergency workers treated the wounded on sidewalks and loaded victims into ambulances. Dozens of children rushed out of the school in a panic, with authorities waving them to safety. Police officers in camouflage stormed inside the school, with weapons drawn, to evacuate the remaining students. The children walked out in single-file lines, with their hands up to show they had no weapons. They were taken to West Glades Middle School which is on lockdown. One student says a fire alarm went off at 2:30pm, and they heard about six gunshots. Chaos followed, and students scrambled to get away from the deadly gunfire. Some barricaded themselves in classrooms. One girl said she jumped a fence, and hurt her toe on the way down. Another girl said she saw a window blow out, screamed and hid in a nearby closet. As she waited for help, she texted her dad, because she was too scared to speak on the phone. When her father arrived, he said, "It's the worst nightmare not hearing from my daughter for 20 minutes, it was the longest 20 minutes of my life." [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/CBSEveningNews/status/963873608245407745]] The FBI is assisting local authorities at the scene. They're telling the students still inside the school to remain where they are, until the police can reach them and escort them to safety. Many students have kept in touch with their parents and authorities through text messages. The instant communication proved both comforting and frightening. One daughter sent her mother a text that read, "We're on code red. I'm fine." Another text soon followed, reading: "Mom, I'm so scared." (The girl later escaped from the building unharmed.) Meanwhile, one 17-year-old junior sent his parents this text message, "Mom and Dad, there have been shots fired on campus at school. There are police sirens outside. I'm in the auditorium and the doors are locked." President Trump responded on Twitter, writing, "My prayers and condolences to the families of the victims of the terrible Florida shooting. No child, teacher or anyone else should ever feel unsafe in an American school." According to Everytown for Gun Safety, there have been 290 school shootings in the United States since 2013. That is an average of once a week.

The United States suffered yet another shooting massacre this morning at a high school in Santa Fe, Texas (located about 40 miles south of Houston). Witnesses say the gunman stormed into an art class, yelled "Surprise!" and opened fire. Law enforcement officials say 10 people are dead - eight students and two teachers - and 13 others have been wounded. Reportedly two law enforcement officers were among those injured.

Authorities say two people have detained in the shooting at Santa Fe High School. The Galveston County Sheriff's Office identified the shooting suspect as Dimitrios Pagourtzis, a 17-year-old high school junior. Pagourtzis reportedly used two weapons to commit the massacre: a shotgun and a .38 revolver. Texas Governor Greg Abbott said both guns were legally owned by the suspect's father.

Explosive devices were also found at the school and in the surrounding areas, according to Chief Walter Braun of Santa Fe Independent School District Police. These devices included pipe bombs, pressure cookers, a molotov cocktail and a CO2 device. Braun says community members should be on alert for "suspicious devices." He warns, "Anything you see, please do not touch it.”

Gov. Abbot said information on Pagourtzis' computer suggested that he wanted to kill others, and then kill himself. However, in the end, "he gave himself up and admitted at the time he didn't have the courage to commit the suicide." He is currently booked at Galveston County Jail, held on capital murder, without bond. Additional charges may follow.

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At 8AM, the sheriff of Harris County tweeted that his officers were responding to a "multiple-casualty incident" and that one suspect was in custody and a second suspect detained. It is also unclear whether the shooter was a student.

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The school was put on lockdown after the shooter, reported to be male, walked into an art class with a gun and began firing.

A Santa Fe High School student described the moment that people inside the school heard gunshots, with 14-year-old junior Angelica Martinez reportedly telling CNN: "So, it was just a normal-like class day. We all were doing our work in first period. And then all of a sudden like it's a fire drill. So we followed the fire drill procedures. And then we went outside. Like we were all standing there, but not even five minutes later, we all start hearing gunshots."

Following the incident, the school district issued the following statement:

"This morning an incident occurred at the high school involving an active shooter. The situation is active, but has been contained. There have been confirmed injuries. Details will be released as we receive updated information. Law enforcement will continue to secure the building and initiate all emergency management protocols to release and move students to another location. All other campuses are operating under their regular schedules. At this time, students from the high school are being transported by SFISD transportation to the Alamo Gym located at 13306 Highway 6. Parents may reunite with their students at this location. The district will continue to keep you updated as information is available. Safety and communication are our top priorities."

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The Santa Fe Police, Galveston County Sheriff's Office, and other local law enforcement agencies responded to the scene this morning. In addition, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives responded, according to a statement on Twitter.

Other nearby school districts also put protective measures in place, with Dickinson ISD tweeting that they were in "protect mode" roughly an hour ago, but claiming in a second tweet that this was no longer the case and "normal daily operations" would continue at this time.

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A video from the scene appeared to show students from the school being evacuated onto a sports field and emptying their backpacks onto the grass.

All the deaths and injuries sustained in the Texas school shooting on Tuesday took place in one fourth-grade classroom at Robb Elementary School.

This was confirmed to CNN by Lt. Chris Olivarez, spokesperson for the Texas Department for Public Safety. The gunman was said to have barricaded himself in this one room, killing two teachers and 19 children, he said.

Law enforcement broke windows at the school in a bid to give students and teachers an escape route.

"Just goes to show you the complete evil from this shooter," Olivarez told CNN's John Berman and Shimon Prokupecz.

"It's a small classroom, you can have anywhere from 25 to 30 students in there, plus there were two teachers in there. ... So don't have exact number of how many students were in that classroom, but it could vary ... It was a classroom setting, a typical classroom setting where you have mass groups of children inside that classroom all together, with nowhere to go," Olivarez said.

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Tuesday's massacre in the town of Uvalde was the deadliest shooting at a school in the US since 20 children and six adults were shot dead at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut, in December 2012.

An 18-year-old gunman, identified by authorities as Salvadore Ramos, entered Robb Elementary School in the city of Uvalde, Texas, at around 11:32 AM.

He made his way inside the school with a handgun and an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle before "horrifically, incomprehensibly" opening fire, Texas Governor Greg Abbott said.

“My heart is broken today,” said Hal Harrell, the school district superintendent, per The Guardian. “We’re a small community, and we’re going to need your prayers to get through this.”

President Joe Biden responded to the tragedy by calling for new gun restrictions in an address some hours after the rampage.

“As a nation we have to ask, when in God’s name are we going to stand up to the gun lobby? When in God’s name are we going to do what has to be done?” Biden asked. “Why are we willing to live with this carnage?"

Featured image credit: ZUMA Press, Inc. / Alamy