Watchdog Records Shootings in 40 U.S. States in 72 Hours
During the past 72 hours in the United States, there have been shootings in at least 40 states and Washington, D.C., according to the Gun Violence Archive (GVA).
So far in 2023, the GVA has recorded 28,780 gun violence deaths, with 25,363 gun violence injuries. In 2021, the total number of reported firearm deaths was 48,830—second to deaths caused by poisoning (i.e., drug overdose), according to the latest data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
In fact, in 2021 more Americans died of gun-related injuries than in any other year on record. The Pew Research Center analyzed and reported on these findings in April 2023, noting that “suicides have long accounted for the majority of U.S. gun deaths.”
Approximately 54 percent of all gun-related deaths in 2021 were reported as suicides.
A July 2023 report from the Kaiser Family Foundation found that the United States has the highest child and teen firearm mortality rate among nations of similar size and wealth.
In the United States, this death rate among children and teens “is over 9.5 times the firearm death rate of Canadian children and teens. Canada is the country with the second-highest child and teen firearm death rate among similarly large and wealthy nations.”
Below is a round-up of gun violence incidents that occurred throughout the United States this week.
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
A graduate student was charged with shooting and killing his faculty adviser at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The shooting on 28 August initiated a three-hour lockdown at the university while law enforcement searched for the suspected gunman.
Tailei Qi, the alleged shooter, was taken into custody and was charged on Tuesday with first-degree murder and having a gun on a school property, according to CNN. His next court date is scheduled for 18 September.
The front page of tomorrow's @dailytarheel –
— Caitlyn (she/her) (@caitlyn_yaede) August 30, 2023
I shed many tears while typing up these heart-wrenching text messages sent and received by UNC students yesterday. Our campus was on lockdown for more than three hours.
Beyond proud of this cover and the team behind it. pic.twitter.com/2gE51TrHZ8
Zijie Yan, the victim, was killed inside a science building on campus. Yan was an associate professor for the university's applied physical sciences department, led a research group that looked into solutions applicable to medicine, and was also a father, NBC News reports.
Two days after the shooting, UNC students hosted a rally on campus supported by gun safety advocates and local legislators to argue for stricter gun laws. In March 2023, the North Carolina's General Assembly repealed a permit system that required sheriffs to evaluate gun applicant's prior to buying a handgun.
Brooklyn Homes Mass Shooting Report
Baltimore, Maryland, law enforcement either ignored early indicators of likely violence or were not proactive in the hours before a July mass shooting that killed two people and injured 28 others, further straining relationships between local police and the communities they serve.
“Officer indifference may have compromised the awareness, planning, and response to Brooklyn Day prior to the large crowds arriving,” according to a report published this week examining the city's response to the shooting. “Members of the community can view such indifference (whether real or perceived) as a form of bias and from the community’s perspective, delayed response time, failing to take reports, and clearing calls without sufficient follow up can also be interpreted as officer indifference.”
A 173-page report on the response of Baltimore authorities to information about the potential for a violent event prior to a mass shooting, the shooting, and its aftermath was published on Wednesday.
In early July, a holiday weekend block party at Brooklyn Homes, a public housing complex in Baltimore, turned deadly when multiple shooters opened fire on party-goers.
Jacksonville, Florida
In what authorities are investigating as a hate crime, a white man shot and killed three Black people on 26 August at a Dollar General store in Jacksonville, Florida. The shooter, who also killed himself, had previously posted racist writings and is reported to have had swastikas painted on his semi-automatic rifle.
“The store where the shootings took place is near Edward Waters University, a historically Black school with about 1,000 students. The school said the man was spotted on campus by a security guard shortly before the shootings and asked to leave when he refused to identify himself,” according to the Associated Press (AP).
The victims were identified as Angela Michelle Carr, 52, a mother and an Uber driver; Jerrald Gallion, 29, father to a 4-year-old daughter; and A.J. Laguerre, 19, who was working at the store to help support his grandmother.
Despite a history of violence and a 72-hour involuntary mental health examination in 2017, law enforcement said that the gunman legally purchased the guns used in the shooting.
Elsewhere...
Georgia. Police in Atlanta are investigating a 30 August shooting at an apartment complex that killed a 6-month-old child and injured two adults. Law enforcement said the shooting, which was conducted by at least two people, was a targeted incident.
Illinois. A shooting in Peoria on 30 August sent six people to the hospital, with two reported to be in critical condition. Among the victims were four children.
Law enforcement responded to the incident “after two ShotSpotter alerts indicated almost 30 shots fired,” ABC News reported. This “mass shooting comes during a time of high tensions following four shootings in four days, leaving two people dead and a 17-year-old charged with one of the killings.”
The investigation into the mass shooting is ongoing.
Indiana. On Wednesday evening in Indianapolis, a shooting at a home improvement store, Menards, left one customer and one security guard dead.
Oklahoma. A shooting at a Friday night high school football game in Oklahoma City killed a 16-year-old boy and sent two people to the hospital. A 15-year-old boy was arrested for the shooting on 30 August.
Pennsylvania. A man stood in line in a Philadelphia store, waiting to be attended by a store clerk. Security footage show that when it was finally his turn, he opened fire on the employee, 30, and shot him multiple times in the neck, chest, and abdomen. The victim is listed in critical condition. Police have not yet apprehended the suspect.
Tennessee. Law enforcement is investigating a shooting that occurred in Nashville, on 30 August, after a fight between oil change service station staff and a driver, which resulted in the driver’s death after the manager shot him in the head.
Texas. A shooting in San Antonio on Wednesday killed one man and left a San Antonio Police officer hospitalized. According to police, the suspects were also involved in vehicle burglaries. At least one suspect is in custody after the shooting, which occurred in the parking lot of a Home Depot.
Virginia. A shooting during the evening of 30 August in Richmond, resulted in injuries to two men and one woman. The shooting occurred in the parking lot of a supermarket.
For a more complete list of shootings that have occurred in the United States, as well as other data points, you can view the information at the Gun Violence Archive.
