Sad, 150 People Died In 400 Shooting Incidents On US Independence Day Week

Shooting illustration. (Pexels/Skitterphoto)

JAKARTA - At least 150 people were killed by gun violence in more than 400 shootings across the United States during the Fourth of July weekend, the US Independence Day celebrations, according to data compiled by the non-profit research institute Gun Violence Archive.

The data, which includes the number of shooting incidents and gun violence victims nationwide for 72 hours from Friday to Sunday, is still evolving and will be updated.

In New York, there were 26 victims of 21 shootings from Friday to Sunday, a decline from the same period last year when 30 people were shot in 25 shootings, the New York Police Department said, citing CNN Tuesday, July 6.

On July 4, the city experienced 12 shooting incidents involving 13 victims, an increase from last year when there were eight shootings and eight casualties, according to the NYPD.

So far in 2021, incidents of armed violence in New York have jumped nearly 40 percent over the same period in 2020, with 767 shootings and 885 victims. CNN has requested data on how many shootings over the weekend resulted in homicides.

Police line illustration. (Pixabay/ValynPi14)

In Chicago, after Police Superintendent David Brown raised concerns ahead of the 'most challenging weekend of the year' for police, 83 people were shot, including 14 dead, in shootings starting Friday at 6 p.m. Monday at 6 a.m., according to a CNN review of preliminary Police Department data. Chicago.

One of the 14 people killed was a member of the Illinois Army National Guard, CNN affiliate WLS reported. His family identified him on social media as Chrys Carvajal, although the Cook County medical examiner has not officially released his name.

Lt. Col. Brad Leighton confirmed Carvajal was assigned to L Company, Battalion Recruitment, Recruitment and Retention Program, Illinois Army National Guard.

"(Carvajal) is new to the Illinois National Guard and will be assigned to the transportation unit. He has just completed basic Army training. Our hearts go out to his family and friends," Leighton said.

Meanwhile, two Chicago police officers were injured in a shooting overnight when an individual opened fire, while officers dispersed a crowd of several thousand people and made more than 60 arrests, police said.

Unlike other cities that have seen a surge in violent crime, the homicide rate in Chicago as of June was 2% lower than the same period in 2020. However, the toll was still 14 percent higher.

In suburban Atlanta, golf professional Gene Siller was shot dead at a country club on Saturday. Police are still looking for the suspect, according to Cobb County police. Siller, 41, was found unconscious with a gunshot wound to the head and was pronounced dead at the scene, police said. Two other gunshot victims were also found in the field.

CNN defines a mass shooting as an incident in which four or more people are killed or injured by gunfire, excluding the shooter.

Eight people were injured Sunday morning in a shooting near a car wash in Fort Worth, Texas, after an altercation between a group of men, according to a Fort Worth police news release.

One of the men left during the altercation, came back with a gun and started shooting at a group of people. Several people returned fire, the release said. Most of the victims, who are in stable condition, are believed to be innocent, police said.

Shooting illustration. (Source: Pixabay)

Meanwhile in Norfolk, Virginia, four children were shot on Friday afternoon, including a 6-year-old girl who was initially reported to have suffered life-threatening injuries but is now in stable condition, according to Norfolk police.

The victims also include a 14-year-old boy, a 16-year-old girl and a 16-year-old boy, all of whom are expected to make a full recovery. Norfolk Police said detectives had arrested and charged a 15-year-old boy in connection with the shooting.

One person and eleven others were injured in a shooting at a block party attended by several hundred people in Toledo, Ohio on Sunday evening, according to Toledo police. A 17-year-old teen died after he was flown by helicopter to the University of Michigan Hospital for treatment, according to Toledo Police Chief George Kral.

"Two victims, a 51-year-old and 19-year-old, are in critical condition, and the other nine injured people are in stable condition, their ages ranging from 11 to 19," Kral said.

Separately, police in Cincinnati, Ohio, said two men, ages 16 and 19, were killed and three others injured at a holiday celebration at a park Sunday night. The two men engaged in a verbal altercation that resulted in two gunfights, with the other victim caught in the crossfire, Cincinnati Police Chief Eliot Isaac said at a news briefing on Monday.

"Two girls, aged 16 and 17, and a 15-year-old boy were injured in the shooting. The 17-year-old girl is in critical condition with gunshot wounds to her back while the other two victims suffered non-life-threatening gunshot wounds," it said. Isaac.

Meanwhile in Dallas, police responded to two separate shootings on July 4, one of which involved five men being shot. Three of the victims were pronounced dead after being taken to a nearby hospital, police said. A 61-year-old man died in another incident after being shot several times in the street during the disturbance and died at a local hospital, police added.