Denver mass shooting is the 500th nationwide this year

A downtown Denver shooting that wounded five people Saturday night marked the country's 500th mass shooting in 2023, according to the Gun Violence Archive.

Yes, and: The 501st came hours later when one person died and five others were wounded early Sunday in El Paso, Texas.

What's new: Denver police said Monday a woman who was twice denied entry to Dierks Bentley's Whiskey Row venue on Market Street pulled a gun and opened fire after confronting security. The five victims were not the intended targets, police said.

• No arrests have been made but police released a photo of the woman and asked for the public's help in identifying her.

By the numbers: Just five years ago, the country had never experienced 500 mass shootings in one year, Axios' April Rubin writes.

• 2018: 335 mass shootings
• 2019: 414 mass shootings
• 2020: 610 mass shootings
• 2021: 689 mass shootings
• 2022: 645 mass shootings

Flashback: The 500 threshold was crossed in September in the past two years, according to the archive. In 2020, it occurred in October.

Between the lines: The FBI does not define or quantify what constitutes a mass shooting.

• Gun Violence Archive, an independent research organization, defines it as a shooting in which four or more people were shot or killed, not including the shooter.

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Editor's note: This story has been updated to include the latest from Denver police.