The Fourth of July weekend this year, which is a time when Americans gather to enjoy fireworks, parades, and barbecues, was marred by violence. This was a nation already in turmoil after multiple mass shootings.
Seven people were killed in Chicago’s suburb of Highland Park and 47 were injured Monday morning when a gunman opened fire on parade festivities from a rooftop. Hours later, a suspect in the attack was arrested.
According to the Gun Violence Archive (which does not include the shooter), the Highland Park tragedy was the 309th mass shooting in America in 2022.
The incident also took place during a weekend when at least 57 people were shot in Windy City. Nine of them died, NBC Chicago reported.
Other cities were rocked by gunfire.
All five of the victims were adults.
Initial treatment was at Kenosha area hospitals. Police said that two of the injured were later transferred to Milwaukee-area hospitals because they had suffered “serious injuries.”
Police stated that there are no suspects and no motive, as the investigation continues.
A 10-year-old boy and an 8-year old girl were playing in a bouncehouse at a Fourth of July party near East 38th Street, Indianapolis. The incident occurred just before 7 p.m., NBC affiliate WTHR reported.
Capt. Mike Leepper described the incident as “an unprovoked assault” where “the suspects arrived at scene and opened fire upon a crowd.”
A man aged over 40 was also wounded and taken to the hospital. He is stable. Police said that both children were in critical condition Monday night.
Eight people sustained injuries in a shooting at Boom Island Park Monday afternoon, during unofficial Fourth of July celebrations. They were all taken to hospital.
Minneapolis Park Police stated that there was no Fourth of July celebration or fireworks at the park. However, people were there to celebrate. Two Philadelphia-area police officers were hurt in a shooting on the East Coast. The incident occurred as thousands of people celebrated Fourth of July with fireworks and live music Monday near and around the Museum of Art.
According to NBC Philadelphia, panicked crowds fled the scene as police directed people to stay put in nearby buildings.
Two officers, one a man aged 36 and the other a man aged 44, were both stabilized in a hospital and then released.
One was described by the city’s traffic officers; the other was part of the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office Bomb and Hazardous Device Disposal Unit, which was assigned to Philadelphia. According to Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw, both were providing security for the celebrations and they had not heard any gunfire at the time they were struck.
In Sacramento, California, meanwhile, one man was shot dead and four others were injured in an early morning shootout outside a nightclub.
According to Sacramento police, the gunfire broke out in the 1500 block L Street just before 2 AM as people were leaving the club. Gregory Grimes, 31, was the victim.
This holiday violence follows the shooting at Tops Friendly Market, Buffalo, New York on May 14, which left 10 Black victims dead, and the massacre at Robb Elementary School, Uvalde, Texas on May 24, which left 19 children and two educators dead.
Congress passed legislation to control gun violence after the shootings. President Joe Biden signed it into law on June 25, 2015. This bill is the most comprehensive legislation to prevent gun violence in 30+ years. It grants states “red flag” laws and enhances background checks to include juvenile records. The bill also closes the “boyfriend loophole”, which prohibits guns from being given to unmarried partners who have been convicted of abuse.
