Gunshots erupted in cities across the United States during Independence Day celebrations, leaving dozens of people injured and at least 14 dead.
Chicago appeared to experience the worst of violence on Saturday when 30 people were shot and eight were killed, including two children.
New York City, Memphis, Omaha, Cleveland, and several other cities were also rocked by a series of shootings in the middle of the Christmas party.
One of the children killed in Chicago was identified by his family as seven-year-old Natalie Wallace.
The girl was playing outside her grandmother’s house in the city’s Austin neighborhood during a July 4 party when a vehicle stopped and three men got out and started shooting indiscriminately around 7 p.m.
Gunshots erupted in cities across the United States during Independence Day celebrations on Saturday, leaving dozens of people injured and at least 14 dead. Police appear at the scene of a shooting in Chicago’s Austin neighborhood, where eight people were shot
Seven-year-old Natalie Wallace (pictured) was among at least eight people killed in Chicago shootings on Saturday
Natalie was shot in the head and taken to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead, according to the Chicago Tribune.
“Chicago’s heart is broken,” said Chicago Police Chief Fred Waller. ‘They took away a 7-year-old girl. She was here visiting the family. Now it’s gone.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot tweeted: ‘Tonight, a 7-year-old girl in Austin joined a list of teens and children whose hopes and dreams were dashed by a gun barrel.
We cannot fall asleep with this. We are making progress in decreasing shooting, but we have to do better, each of us. ”
Seven other people were injured in the same Austin attack, including a 32-year-old man who is now in good condition.
Waller said police are reviewing video of the incident and that no arrests have been made.
Another shooting in Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood left four dead, including a 14-year-old boy who has not yet been identified.
Four others were wounded in that shooting, including children ages 11 and 15.
The Tribune reported that four men broke into a Christmas gathering and opened fire before fleeing the scene. They still have to be arrested.
Three other shootings in Chicago on Saturday killed a 34-year-old woman, a 31-year-old man and a 20-year-old man, according to ABC7.
Saturday marked the third consecutive weekend in the city where a boy under the age of 10 was shot dead.
The Chicago Police Department deployed 1,200 additional officers over the weekend with the goal of reducing violence that accompanies vacations each year.
It’s not just about the police department. Not just in the fire department. Not just on elected officials, ‘Mayor Lightfoot said in announcing the increased police presence.
“We all must accept our notion of community and think about what we can do, each of us in our own way, so that our communities are safe, healthy and vibrant.”
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot tweeted about Natalie Wallace’s tragic death Saturday night
Many other cities reported an alarming increase in gunfire mixed with Saturday’s celebratory fireworks.
In New York City, at least two people were killed and 10 wounded in gunfire overnight, police said.
A 20-year-old man died after being shot in the chest at 12:45 a.m. in Brooklyn.
Less than two hours later, a 23-year-old man was shot in the back in Harlem before being transferred to the hospital.
Authorities said the man, who has not been identified, did not cooperate when interviewed by police before he died in hospital.
That shooting is still under investigation as detectives examine the area for ballistic and video evidence.
Details about the other shootings in the Big Apple were not immediately available.
They came after the city experienced the deadliest June in 24 years with 205 reported shots fired.
In New York City, at least two people were killed and 10 wounded in gunfire overnight, police said. Officers appear at the scene of a shooting on Sunday morning.
At least seven shootings were reported in Memphis, Tennessee, on Saturday, leaving four people injured, according to WREG.
A teenager in the Whitehaven neighborhood was rushed to the hospital in critical condition after neighbors reported hearing a discussion in a house before the shooting erupted.
“We were here,” said a witness to that shooting. “ We were fixing our tables, and the next thing we know is that we see ambulances coming all over the place, and then the police came. I said, “What happened here?”
“I imagine what the family of others is doing, what they are going through,” added the witness.
At least seven shootings were reported in Memphis, Tennessee on Saturday, leaving four people injured. A police officer appears at the scene of one of the shootings.
About 30 minutes later, a woman was driving on Interstate 240 when a man driving a gold Pontiac began shooting at his vehicle.
Police said the woman is fine but that the suspect has not been captured.
Another shooting in South Memphis on Saturday night left two men injured.
One of the men told WREG that he was leaving his driveway on Alcy Road when he was shot by three men in a Saturn Vue.
“When I backed up in the middle of the street, I stopped a little bit because I heard a lot of fireworks, which I thought were fireworks, but they were gunshots,” said the man.
The first victim said that the attack appeared to be random.
“They are just shooting,” he said. ‘The car was in front of them, and they are just shooting. They don’t know those people. They are just shooting those people because they were in front of them. ”
No arrests have been made in any of the Memphis shootings, police said.
At least five shootings were reported in Cleveland in the first five hours of July 4, leaving four people injured.
And in Omaha, Nebraska, police have asked the public for information on six separate shootings reported between Friday night and early Saturday morning.
Eight people were injured in those shootings and all are expected to recover.
At least five shootings were reported in Cleveland in the first five hours of July 4, leaving four people injured. Police appear at the scene of one of the shootings.
Greenville County, South Carolina authorities are investigating a nightclub shooting that left two people dead and eight injured.
Video footage posted on social media showed people in what appeared to be a rap concert within the club. The clip shows people inside the club running towards the exit before the screen goes blank and shots are heard in the background.
Two Greenville County sheriff’s deputies noticed a riot at the Lavish Lounge just before 2 a.m. and saw a large crowd rush out of the building, Sheriff Hobart Lewis said at a news conference.
Lewis told Greenville News that the incident was “probably gang related.” He said authorities are looking for two suspects, although no physical description of the gunmen has been released until Sunday morning.
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