Halloween turns deadly across US as gun violence leaves at least 24 dead, 94 injured
More than two dozen people were killed and nearly 100 injured in a wave of violent shootings across the United States over Halloween weekend.The violence stretched from California to Delaware, with several shootings reported near university campuses and in nightlife districts. In Dallas, three separate shootings in the Deep Ellum neighbourhood left at least four people dead and 15 injured. In Birmingham, Alabama, gunfire outside Legion Field after the annual Magic City Classic left one person dead and eight others wounded.The weekend’s violence also included a shooting at a Spirit Halloween store in Fairfield, California, where a pregnant woman was killed and six others were injured. In Delaware, two mass shootings within just over an hour left one person dead and several others wounded, including at an outdoor party in Ellendale and along Main Street near the University of Delaware.“This is not normal,” Delaware governor Matt Meyer said in a statement after the shootings. “We must never accept gun violence as a part of life in Delaware.”CNN’s preliminary estimate put the toll at at least 13 people killed and 92 injured, based partly on figures compiled by the Gun Violence Archive. A later report by the New York Times put the number at at least 24 dead and 94 wounded across the country. The figures reflect different preliminary tallies of a fast-moving series of incidents.
Shootings disrupt Halloween celebrations
One of the first deadly incidents occurred on Friday night at a Spirit Halloween store in Fairfield, northeast of San Francisco. Police said gunfire broke out at around 8.30pm, killing a 31-year-old pregnant woman. Six others were wounded, three critically. The shopping centre subsequently cancelled a planned trick-or-treating event.In Flint, Michigan, a woman was killed and three people, two teenage boys and a man, were injured in a shooting at a party shortly after midnight on Saturday, WJRT reported. In Wichita, Kansas, four people were shot at an after-party early Saturday, including a 36-year-old man who was struck in the face by a stray bullet while looking out of his window, KAKE reported.In Birmingham, two shootings occurred minutes apart after the Magic City Classic, the annual football game between historically Black universities. Police said one person was killed and eight others were wounded in gunfire near vendors outside Legion Field shortly before 8pm on Saturday.A 17-year-old who was not affiliated with either university was taken into custody, mayor Randall Woodfin said. The teenager had a firearm fitted with a Glock conversion switch, he added.
Gunfire near college campuses and party venues
Delaware reported two mass shootings in just over an hour on Saturday night. State police said a gunman fired into an outdoor party in Ellendale shortly before 10pm, striking nine people. A 17-year-old girl later died of her injuries; those wounded ranged in age from 17 to 22.At around 11.13pm, six people were shot along a crowded Main Street near the University of Delaware in Newark, police said. All were taken to hospitals.Near Edinburg, Texas, seven people were wounded at a Halloween birthday party shortly before midnight, according to the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office. All suffered non-life-threatening injuries, KRGV reported.Two cities named Bloomington, one in Illinois and the other in Indiana, also reported shootings early Sunday. In Bloomington, Illinois, police found multiple people with gunshot wounds on a residential street near Illinois Wesleyan University. A 19-year-old woman was pronounced dead at the scene, while seven others were injured, including a woman in critical condition.In Bloomington, Indiana, seven people aged between 17 and 27 were injured when gunfire broke out near a large crowd in the downtown area, WISH reported. Police detained a person who fled the scene with a firearm, but said they had not established whether that person had fired it.In Fayetteville, Arkansas, six people were shot, all six were taken to hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries, police said.
Nightlife districts see deadly shootings
In Jackson, Mississippi, two people were killed and four others injured in a shooting at a nightclub hosting a costume party early Sunday, police said. WAPT reported that two masked men entered the club and at least one opened fire on the dance floor.Dallas recorded three shootings in its Deep Ellum nightlife district within about 75 minutes, beginning shortly after midnight. At least four people were killed and 15 others injured, police said.In Jacksonville, Florida, two separate shootings at Halloween parties left two people dead and 11 injured. A 17-year-old girl was killed while waiting in line for a party at around 1.45am, with two others wounded. Just over two hours later, gunfire at a house party left a 20-year-old man dead and nine others injured, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said. Police said both incidents followed fights that escalated into gunfire.The violence was not confined to party venues. In Detroit, a five-year-old girl was shot in the chest while playing in the back room of her home after trick-or-treating. The child was in stable condition.
Halloween and the risk of violence
The shootings came just over two weeks after a gunman killed three students and a teacher in a special-needs classroom at an elementary school in Oregon.Halloween is among the most violent days of the year, according to an analysis cited by NYT of FBI incident data from Boston between 2005 and 2009 by Northeastern University criminologist James Alan Fox. In that analysis, October 31 ranked third for violent incidents, behind only July 4 and January 1. Fox said it was the most dangerous day of the year for minors.Experts say the combination of large gatherings, alcohol consumption, drug use and access to firearms can heighten the risk of violence. But preventing shootings across bars, streets, parking lots and private parties remains difficult.
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