As the country was still processing the shocking news that a gunman had killed seven people and injured 30 more at a July 4th parade in Highland Park, Illinois, other incidences of gun violence were also taking place across the country.
Gun violence spiked over the Fourth of July weekend, with shootings reported in nearly every U.S. state that killed a total of at least 220 people and wounded close to 570 others, according to the Gun Violence Archive.
Of all the gun violence incidents accounted for during the holiday weekend, at least 11 were classified as mass shootings by the Gun Violence Archive. Any situation where four or more people, excluding the shooter, are killed or wounded by gunshots is considered a mass shooting. The database lists 315 mass shootings across the country since the beginning of this year, and roughly 22,500 deaths caused by any form of gun violence. The number of injuries so far traced to gun violence approaches the total death toll.
Mass Shooting in Highland Park ILL. Initial reports 8+. This is the 11th Mass Shooting this holiday weekend.
More to follow
— The Gun Violence Archive (@GunDeaths) July 4, 2022
The Highland Park parade shooting was far from the only crime involving gun violence in the Chicago area over the weekend. Eight deaths and 68 injuries from gun violence were confirmed in the city in the days leading up to the Fourth of July, as well as on the holiday itself, according to CBS Chicago.
Don’t let the @GOP or right-wing media fool you. Gun violence affects everyone regardless of where you live. Highland Park sits about 30 min north of Chicago and is 90% White. The Highland Park shooting didn’t happen because of “Chicago’s crime." https://t.co/NXPd4mkYJn
Two Philadelphia police officers were shot near the Benjamin Franklin Parkway late on Monday as thousands of people celebrated a Fourth of July concert and fireworks show with the crowd scattering in panic when shots were fired. The Philadelphia Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #5 announced Tuesday a $20,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.
Both officers in Philadelphia were released from the hospital after suffering non-life-threatening injuries. The shooter was still at large at press time.
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