Gun deaths overall have been declining in recent years, but murder-suicides in which at least one of the victims was age 65 or older are higher than ever, according to a Trace analysis of data from the Gun Violence Archive. At least 134 older adults were killed in murder-suicides last year, a slight rise over 2024 and the highest number since GVA began compiling data more than a decade ago. Another 85 older adults perpetrated a killing before dying by their own hand.
Murder-Suicide Appears to Be Rising Among Older Americansthetrace.orgA Trace analysis found more murder-suicides involving victims 65 or older in 2025 than in any year since tracking began more than a decade ago.