Many parties are held the weekend before Halloween, and people often enjoy themselves during nighttime. With the amount of people out and about, shootings were bound to happen. Places such as Chicago, San Antonio, Atlanta, and many other cities experienced shootings, leaving people dead and injured.
The two cities that experienced the most injuries and murders were Chicago and Tampa. In Chicago, one party had 15 people shot and injured. The shooting happened on Sunday, October 29 at 1:00 AM. The 15 people shot were aged 26 to 53, six being female and nine male. The removal of the perpetrator from the party caused him to return with a handgun. The building where he discharged the weapon had around 100 people inside of it. After the shooting, police later caught the suspect, took him into custody, and found a handgun on him. The suspect is a 48-year-old male and charged with 15 counts of first-degree murder, 15 felony counts of unlawful use of a weapon by a felon, and one count of aggravated discharge of a firearm in an occupied building.Â
In Tampa, 16 people were injured and two died. An argument between multiple individuals initiated this shooting. During the early morning of Sunday, October 29, at approximately 2:47 AM, gunshots were heard, and many fled the area of the 1600 block of E. 7th Ave. The two victims who lost their life was a 14-year-old and a 20-year-old. Most victims injured had non-lethal injuries, and a few were discharged from the hospital after the shooting. The suspect is a 22-year-old male currently fighting his case in court. The suspect states that six males approached him aggressively, and he acted in self-defense by letting off two rounds. The suspect fled following the shots, and after, there were additional gunshots by other people. The two other shooters are still under investigation and have not been found.
Across the United States, many other shootings occurred during the weekend. Shootings in 6 different cities left 29 people injured and seven dead. These shootings do not appear in just big cities; they also happen in smaller towns and can be just as deadly. There was a shooting that took the lives of three people over the weekend in Texarkana, TX. Shootings in the United States have become more prevalent in recent years. The events over the weekend leave a stark reminder that nobody is safe. The need for control of firearms and mental health services is necessary to ensure the safety and well-being of all.
