In recent years there has been a significant increase in violence against migrants and minorities in developed western democracies. How does this violence affect attitudes towards minority groups? Research to this point has generally focused on the effects of Islamist terror attacks, showing that these attacks have a negative effect on attitudes towards Muslims (and other minorities in some cases). However, data from the USA suggests there has been twice as many attacks by right-wing groups against minorities than Islamist attacks since 2008. Utilizing unexpected event design, we present evidence from two distinct contexts which shows that attacks against minorities polarize attitudes towards the targeted group. Firstly, in Germany, we investigate the ramifications of the 2020 Hanau shootings, which targeted migrants and claimed nine lives. Secondly, in the US, we delve into the aftermath of two incidents: the 2019 El Paso shootings, targeting Latinx individuals and resulting in 23 fatalities, and the 2015 Chapel Hill shootings, which targeted Muslims and led to three deaths. Our analyses indicate that the effect of these attacks on attitudes vary across the population. Specifically, prejudice against victim groups increases among right-wing voters (in Germany) and Republicans (in the US), and it decreases among left-wing voters and Democrats. These effects typically subside within a week. This paper makes a significant contribution to the literature by focusing on the understudied effect of violent attacks against minority groups.