Mass Shootings on the Fourth of July Claim 20 Lives and Injure 126 More

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Mass shootings at block parties and other celebratory gatherings over the long Fourth of July holiday weekend left cities across the United States reeling from the plague of gun violence.

According to the Gun Violence Archive, a website that keeps track of shootings around the country, twenty people were killed and 126 were injured in 22 mass shootings that occurred across the country between 5 p.m. ET Friday and 5 a.m. Wednesday.

According to the website, which uses the term “mass shooting” to describe an incident in which four or more people are shot at once, the Christmas shootings occurred in 17 different states and the District of Columbia.

Terrorist attacks have shaken many major American cities, including Baltimore, Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago, and Fort Worth, Texas. Many children, including a 15-year-old kid, were among the injured in the incident.

Mass shootings in which 28 people are killed over an argument are a societal problem, and we must find a solution. After a shooting rampage at a Baltimore block party on Sunday, an angry Bill Ferguson, president of the Maryland State Senate, declared, “This is insanity.” We don’t have to accept this as the kind of world we have to live in. We need to improve.

John Cohen, a former acting undersecretary for intelligence at the United States Department of Homeland Security, said that the holiday shootings showed the difficulties law enforcement faces as more and more people carry firearms and use them to settle disputes, even if innocent people get caught in the crossfire.

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The current threat environment has seen an increase in mass casualty violence as a reaction to disputes or disagreements with others, according to Cohen, an ABC News contributor. “While typically we look at mass shootings from the perspective of whether it was ideologically motivated or motivated by some perceived grievance fueled by underlying behavioral health challenges,” Cohen said.

Cohen speculated that both lone and group shooters contributed to the holiday chaos. “It’s hot, people are angry, there’s a return to people attending crowded public events, and more people believe it is justified to use violence in response to a dispute,” Cohen added.  “So instead of a fist fight, they are witnessing mass casualty shootings whenever a disagreement or argument turns violent.”

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Philly Shooting Leaves 5 Dead, Children Injured

At least 50 shots were fired at random at victims in Philadelphia over the holiday weekend, making it one of the deadliest shootings in recent history. The suspect was armed with an AR-15 style rifle, a pistol, extra magazines, a bulletproof vest, and a ski mask.

At least five individuals, including a 15-year-old kid, were shot and murdered in Philadelphia’s Kingsessing area at around 8:30 p.m. ET on Monday, according to police.

Philadelphia ABC affiliate WPVI uncovered surveillance footage that appeared to show the shooter firing at passing automobiles in the area. A mother, 33, and one of her twin children, both 2 years old, were hurt by glass while the other twin had four gunshot wounds to the legs. A child, aged 13, was also injured, according to the police.

Kimbrady Carriker, 40, of Philadelphia, was arrested and arraigned on many charges, including murder, attempted murder, aggravated assault, reckless endangerment, and firearm possession without a license, on Wednesday. A preliminary hearing for Carriker is set for July 24, and he is currently being held without bail.

Lashyd Merritt, 20, Dymir Stanton, 29, Ralph Moralis, 59, Daujan Brown, 15, and Joseph Wamah, Jr., 31, were named by police as the victims. Philadelphia’s mayor, Jim Kenney, has warned that the country needs to “examine its conscience” and figure out how to remove firearms from the hands of potentially violent individuals.

As one commentator put it, “It is shameful, but all too common in America, to see someone walking down the street with an AR-style rifle and shooting randomly at people while wearing a bulletproof vest with multiple magazines.”

Mass Shootings on the Fourth of July Claim 20 Lives and Injure 126 More (2)

9 Shot in Nation’s Capital

At least nine people were injured in a drive-by shooting in the nation’s capital early on Wednesday, adding to the tally of casualties from the recent spate of mass shootings. On Meade Street, in the city’s northeast, a shooting occurred shortly before 1 a.m. ET.

ABC News quotes Assistant Chief Leslie Parsons of the Washington, DC Metropolitan Police Department as saying that a dark-colored SUV was traveling through the neighborhood when someone inside the car opened fire in the “direction of some of our residents that were outside, just celebrating the Fourth of July.” There was no immediate word of arrests.

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2 Killed, 4 Shot at Chicago Independence Day Gathering

On the morning of July 4th, gunshots erupted during a celebration in Chicago, leaving one man dead and five others injured, authorities said. According to a police incident report, at around 4:47 a.m., a gunman started fire on a gathering of persons who were gathered outside a home in the city’s Englewood district.

At the University of Chicago Medical Center, a 35-year-old male was pronounced dead after being shot in the chest, according to the police. At Stroger Hospital, a 20-year-old male was pronounced dead after being shot in the head and badly beaten throughout the incident.

According to authorities, four people were shot and sent to the hospital: two men and a woman. Police have not made any arrests and have claimed that they are still looking into the event.

Five Wounded in Boston

Boston police say at least five individuals were shot and injured early on Wednesday when one or more gunmen opened fire on a group of people who were presumably lighting fireworks.

Police say the incident happened in Boston’s Mattapan neighborhood at around 2 a.m. ET. Police say that none of the victims suffered life-threatening injuries and were released from the hospital.

The crime scene, according to Boston police, stretched for blocks. Police said they have arrested two men and a woman in connection with the incident. The suspects’ identities were not revealed right away.

Baltimore Block Party Shooting Kills 2, Injures 28

Two people were killed and 28 others were injured when multiple gunmen opened fire at a massive block party in Baltimore early on Sunday, according to authorities. The shooting spree began in the Brooklyn Homes area in the city’s southern section at about 12:30 a.m.

ET. According to Richard Worley, acting police commissioner of Baltimore, officers responded quickly after multiple 911 callers reported hearing gunfire. Police say that Aaliyah Gonzales, 18, and Kylis Fagbemi, 20, were killed in the shooting.

Fifteen people, ranging in age from 13 to 17, were shot and injured, according to Worley. Officials have stated that investigators have reason to think numerous people fired weapons based on the variety of shot casings recovered at the scene. There have been no reported arrests. There is a $28,000 reward for information that results in the capture and conviction of the attackers.

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11 Shot, 4 fatally, at Louisiana Block Party

Shreveport, Louisiana’s traditional Fourth of July block celebration turned fatal late Tuesday when several armed individuals opened fire, authorities said. Shreveport City Councilwoman Tabatha Taylor stated that the incident occurred at a holiday block party/birthday celebration just before midnight on Tuesday.

According to Taylor, the gunman or gunmen showed up at the party and began firing without giving any prior notice. The victims’ identities were not immediately made public. There have been no reported arrests.

4 Shot in Lansing, Michigan

Lansing, Michigan police say at least four people were shot on a roadway early on Wednesday. According to investigators, the incident took place in the South Washington Square area of Lansing. All of the victims were treated for injuries that were not life-threatening.

Few specifics regarding the shooting were disclosed by police. There were no reported arrests.

Child Among those Wounded in Fort Worth Shooting

Police in Fort Worth, Texas, reported three deaths and eight injuries, including one kid, after gunfire erupted in a parking lot late on Monday night. Around 11:40 p.m. CT on Monday, police in Fort Worth responded to reports of gunfire in the Como neighborhood, where the Fourth of July event, ComoFest, had ended hours before.

Police said that when they arrived, they discovered many people who had been shot in a parking lot. Mayor of Fort Worth Mattie Parker described the shooting as “heartbreaking” for the city and the area where it took place.

Parker remarked, “This community has worked so hard to put on wonderful festivities to celebrate Independence Day, but this is also about their community.”

A youngster was among the victims, according to the police. A group of males “started firing into the crowd indiscriminately,” as police put it in a statement, sparking the chaos that led to the deaths of multiple people. There were no reported arrests.

We’ve also included some links to other resources where you may remain up to date on the newest developments:

10 Injured in Kansas Nightclub Shooting

Police say eight individuals were shot and two were trampled early on Sunday morning after a shootout broke out among several clubgoers in Wichita, Kansas. Lt. Aaron Moses, executive officer of the Wichita Police Department, stated at a news conference that at least four weapons were discharged during the chaotic shooting that erupted at 12:58 a.m.

CT Sunday inside the City Nightz nightclub in the Old Town area of Wichita. Investigators have apprehended one of the suspected shooters and are seeking to identify the others.

Brandon Young, 31, of Florissant, Missouri, was named as the suspect on Monday. Police said they have charged Young with two charges of aggravated violence related to the shooting at the nightclub.

Police believe there will be other arrests made. On Monday, Wichita Police Chief Joe Sullivan issued a 30-day closure of the club where the incident took place. During a press conference, Sullivan speculated that the massacre could have been prevented if the nightclub had implemented entry screening.

According to Wichita Police Department Detective Chris Merceau, 12 occurrences involving City Nightz have been attended to in the past year. These incidents include investigations into aggravated battery and a drive-by shooting that occurred on May 21.

Sullivan stated of the closure of the nightclub, “We need to take a strong stance in response to what occurred because, in my estimation, I believe it was totally preventable.”

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