At least 33 people were killed, including 11 in Chicago, and dozens were wounded during the extended weekend of the Fourth of July (US Independence Day) celebrations across the nation, according to authorities. These incidents are not new, as the Fourth of July has been one of the deadliest days in the United States historically.
Violence and mass shootings often increase in the summer months, with more people gathering for social events, teens out of school and hotter temperatures. At least 11 people have been killed and 55 wounded in Chicago alone on Friday morning. The violence included a mass shooting on Thursday that killed two women and an eight-year-old boy.
The recent violence “has left our city in a state of grief,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said. “We are devastated by the recent violence that has left our city in a state of grief and we extend our heartfelt condolences to the families and communities impacted by these recent events,” Johnson said.
A community rally was planned for Friday evening, and the city will beef up police presence over the weekend, he added. Eight people were wounded in Chicago’s Little Italy neighbourhood shortly after midnight Friday. About 90 minutes later, a shooting in the city’s Austin neighbourhood injured six. Police said preliminary findings suggest the separate shootings involved an exchange of gunfire between two people who then fled.
California: Two people were killed and three others injured in an attack in Huntington Beach, less than two hours after a fireworks show ended, police said.
Ohio: Police Chief Jay Holland said a 15-year-old male was in custody after a 23-year-old man was fatally shot on Thursday night at a Fourth of July party at a residence in the northeastern community of Niles.
Philadelphia: A 19-year-old man was killed and six others were wounded in a drive-by shooting in Philadelphia on Thursday night.
Massachusetts: As many as three shootings took place in Boston, leaving one man dead. The fatal shooting occurred in the early hours of Friday in a park near Boston’s South End neighbourhood.
Connecticut: A woman was found shot in her car early Friday and was pronounced dead at a hospital.
New York: Police in Albany, New York, said six males ranging in age from 16 to 19 were being treated at a hospital for injuries that were not considered life-threatening after a shooting at a large gathering. One teenager who had been shot flagged down officers along a street a short time later, police said.
Michigan: Five teens were wounded when shots were fired into a crowd following a fight at a party early Friday morning in Pontiac, about 30 miles (48.2 km) northwest of Detroit.
Florida: Four people were wounded in a shooting early Friday outside a Tampa adult nightclub after an altercation between the club’s security guard and two men, police said.
Other areas: Shootings at two St. Louis-area Fourth of July gatherings left two men dead and five others injured, two critically, police said. In West Virginia, Charles Speer, 42, of Kermit, died early Friday after being shot multiple times following a physical altercation at the home of another man, state police said.
