Shootings Claim 189 Lives Around U.S. During 4th of July Weekend
Cities and communities around the country faced an onslaught of violence while celebrating Independence Day.
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By 11:30 p.m. on July 5, the Gun Violence Archive reported 189 people killed and 516 injured in shootings over the course of a 72-hour period starting July 2, totaling more than 540 shootings over the holiday weekend, reports NPR. Those numbers may increase as the organization continues to collect statistics from the weekend. News of major shootings in Chicago, Texas, Virginia and Ohio comes as many of the nation’s largest cities are struggling to contain a continued rise in violent crimes.
Officials from across the country had spoken of serious fears of a bloody summer earlier this year. In Chicago, at least 95 people were shot during the long weekend and the Chicago Police Department recovered over 6,100 guns over the weekend — a 26 percent increase from the same period last year. In Virginia, a shooting by a 15-year-old boy claimed the lives of four children aged from 6 to 16 and, in Ohio, a 17-year-old boy was killed and 12 people injured after a block party was disrupted by gunfire in Toledo early Monday.
