Topline
At least seven people were killed and dozens more injured in a series of Halloween weekend shootings across the country in what has proven to be the deadliest year of mass shootings in at least the last decade, according to the Gun Violence Archive.
Tampa police officers stand in the street in the Ybor City section of Tampa, Fla., after a shooting … [+] Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023. A fight between two groups turned deadly in a shooting during Halloween festivities.
Key Facts
Three people died in Texarkana, Texas, and three others were hurt after police say at least two men pulled out rifles and started shooting at a party in the back room of a business Saturday night, the local CBS affiliate reported—police have named 20-year-old Breoskii Warren as one suspect who has not been arrested.
A fight in the streets of Tampa, Florida, early Sunday morning left two people dead and injured 18 others after at least two shooters fired their guns with “hundreds of innocent people” in the way, police said; one suspect has turned themselves in and police are searching for any others involved, CNN reported.
In Indianapolis, nine people between the ages of 16 and 22 were shot Saturday night, and one has died, after a party on the northeast side of the city, the Indianapolis Star reported, and police have released little information as to what happened or why shots were fired other than to say multiple firearms were found at the scene.
One person died and two others were hurt after a shooting at the Onyx nightclub in Wichita, Kansas, early Sunday morning—police are searching for a suspect caught on surveillance video, according to KSN, the local NBC News affiliate.
At least 15 people were shot at a Halloween party Chicago’s west side early Sunday morning, with a 26-year-old woman and 48-year-old man in critical condition, CNN reported; police arrested the alleged shooter.
Key Background
There have been 576 mass shootings in the U.S. since January 1, the most through October 29 since at least 2014, when the Gun Violence Archive started tracking mass shootings. The group includes shootings in which four or more people were killed or injured, not including the assailant. So far this year, 613 people have died in mass shootings. In 2022, 555 people had been killed through October 29, while 565 were killed by this time of year in 2021 and 414 died in 2020.
Tangent
The Halloween weekend killings come just days after the deadliest shooting so far this year. Eighteen people were killed and 13 others hurt at a bowling alley and restaurant in Lewiston, Maine on Wednesday, October 25. Robert Card, the Army reservist who fired the shots, was found dead on Friday after a two-day search of the woods and hundreds of acres of Card’s family-owned property. Hours before he was found, authorities released the identities of the shooting victims, who ranged in age from 14 to 73. The Maine shooting outpaced a January 21 event in California that killed 11 to become the deadliest so far this year.
Further Reading
CNNTwo killed, 18 injured in Florida shooting | CNNCNN15 people shot at Halloween party in Chicago | CNNThe Indianapolis StarPolice: 1 dead, 9 injured following shooting at party in northeast IndianapolisMORE FROM FORBESMore Than 600 Killed In U.S. Mass Shootings This Year-Highest In YearsBy Brian BushardMORE FROM FORBESMaine Police Identify All Lewiston Shooting Victims-Who Ranged From Age 14 To 73By Brian Bushard
