(St. Petersburg) Shootings in the United States during the weekend before Halloween left at least 11 people dead and more than 70 injured, according to authorities.
According to police, two people were killed between Friday and Sunday in Tampa (Florida), three in Texarkana (Texas), two in Dodge City (Kansas), two in San Antonio (Texas) and two in Mansfield (Ohio).
Numerous altercations took place during Halloween celebrations, including a mass shooting in Tampa’s Ybor City neighborhood early Sunday as bars closed their doors and dozens of people in costumes spilled into the streets before groups start arguing.
The weekend’s wave of violence unfolded as people mourn the 18 people killed by a shooter last week in Lewiston, Maine. More than a thousand people participated in a vigil on Sunday.
“A neighborhood bar. A bowling alley. A Halloween party. It seems like not a day goes by without a mass shooting in America, said Kris Brown, president of Brady, a gun violence prevention group. Anger and guns are a deadly combination that can turn any situation into a war zone in seconds. »
One suspect, Tyrell Phillips, 22, is charged with second-degree murder in the Tampa case and there could be more arrests, Police Chief Lee Bercaw said Sunday. Police initially said there were 18 injured in Tampa, but that number was reduced to 16, with five of them still hospitalized as of Sunday evening.
Phillips made his first court appearance Monday, but has not yet entered a plea. He remains in jail without bail pending a new hearing set for Thursday. Court records do not yet list an attorney representing Phillips.
In Indianapolis, a shooting early Sunday at a large party left a teenager dead and nine other teenagers and young adults aged 16 to 21 injured, according to police. The injured are in stable condition.
As of Monday morning, there have been no arrests, said Officer Samone Burris, who clarified that “the case remains active and the investigation continues.” Several firearms were found at the scene.
“I am frustrated and angry to learn that young people were shot and killed at a Halloween party last night,” Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett said in a statement released Sunday morning. There are far too many guns in the hands of those who have no business being there, and shocking violence is too often the result. »
In Chicago, police said at least 15 people were injured, two of them seriously, when a gunman fired into a crowd at a Halloween party early Sunday. The suspect was taken into custody, but authorities had not yet announced any charges as of Monday morning.
In Texas, five people were killed and six others injured in two separate shootings Saturday evening.
San Antonio police say a 13-year-old girl was injured and her parents were killed after a shooting at a party. A 20-year-old man arrived at the party and an argument ensued, according to police. The man began shooting a gun and a 40-year-old man returned fire.
The older man and a 35-year-old woman died at the home, police said. The young man and his relative, as well as the 13-year-old girl, were taken to hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening, police said. Police have not announced any charges.
In Texarkana, 450 miles (725 kilometers) away along the Arkansas border, police said three people were killed and three injured during a party in the back room of a business. Two men began fighting with fists when guns were drawn and gunfire rang out, police said. No arrests have been made.