Unprecedented Violence Raging Nationwide

Unprecedented Violence Raging Nationwide

Every week, though it seems daily any more, people involved in mass shootings are taking the lives of scores of individuals. Another sad fact is that it is not just one person at a time. So far this year, there have been 272 mass attacks.

There were an estimated 194 mass shootings in the US during this same period in 2020, and an estimated 164 mass shootings in the US in this same period in 2019. A mass shooting is generally described as four or more people shot.

There have been more than 365 deaths in 2021, with half of the year remaining.

Most recently, From Friday afternoon to Sunday, at least 10 people were killed and another 50 were injured in nine mass shootings in six states, according to data compiled by CNN and the Gun Violence Archive.

Sad to write, these devastating events know no age boundaries. An 18-month-old and 4-year-old were among the youngest victims, authorities said. This weekend's mass shootings include incidents in Georgia, Illinois, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas and Washington state.

WASHINGTON
Police found two people dead after they responded to a shooting in White Center, just south of Seattle, on Friday afternoon. Two other people were hospitalized following the shooting, according to the King County Sheriff's Office said.

One survivor was listed in critical condition at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, while the other was in serious condition Friday night. Neither a suspect nor motive have been identified in the case.

GEORGIA
A 20-year-old man was killed and seven others were wounded in a Friday night shooting in Savannah, police said.

People were standing outside a residence around 9 p.m. when a dark colored or red sedan approached when the occupants of the vehicle began shooting into the crowd before driving off. Several victims were found at the scene, while others had been taken to the hospital in a personal vehicle. The victims' ages ranged from 18 months to 33 years old.

NORTH CAROLINA
Officers on patrol heard "numerous shots fired" just before 10 p.m. Friday night, according to a press release from the Winston-Salem Police Department.

Police found four victims suffering from gunshot wounds, including a 17-year-old, the release said.
One of them was pronounced dead on the scene while the three others were taken to the hospital in serious but non-life-threatening condition.

TEXAS
One of 14 people injured in a shooting in downtown Austin, early Saturday died Sunday, Austin Police said. At a news briefing Saturday, interim Chief of Police Joseph Chacon listed two people in critical condition. One suspect is in custody; the other still at large.

Less than 12 hours earlier, five other people were shot in Dallas, including a 4-year-old girl. Police responded to a shooting around 4:45 p.m. Friday that was reported to be between two groups of people "involved in a disturbance regarding an unknown matter," according to the Dallas Police website.

The child was taken to Children's Medical Center and is in stable condition, and the four adult victims -- all women -- were taken to local hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries

ILLINOIS
Police were looking for two gunmen in a shooting in Chicago early Saturday that sent 10 people to the hospital. One woman has died. People were standing on a sidewalk in the city's South Side when two men approached and opened fire, police said.

OHIO
On the east side of Cleveland, three people were shot to death outside a gas station on Saturday morning. A motive has not been determined but police say it appear to be a "shootout-type situation."

Two 40-year-old men and a 36-year-old man were killed in the shooting. Three women also were shot and hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries. A suspect has not been identified.

In Cincinnati, at least four people, including a 6-year-old and an 8-year-old, were wounded in a shooting Saturday. The two children are in critical condition, "with one sustaining possible life-threatening injuries." Two adults, described as men in their late teens, suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

About the Author

Ralph C. Jensen is the Publisher of Security Today magazine.

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