US Halloween weekend shootings leave 24 dead, nearly 100 injured across 10 states

New Delhi: At least 24 people were killed and 94 others injured in shootings across the United States over Halloween weekend. The violence stretched from California to Delaware, with shootings reported at parties, nightlife districts and near university campuses.

Dallas recorded three shootings in its Deep Ellum nightlife district within about 75 minutes. At least four people were killed and 15 injured, police said. In Jacksonville, Florida, two separate shootings at Halloween parties left two people dead and 11 injured.

Shootings at parties and public gatherings

One of the first deadly incidents occurred on Friday night at a Spirit Halloween store in Fairfield, California. A 31-year-old pregnant woman was killed and six others injured, including three critically. The shopping centre cancelled a planned trick-or-treating event.

In Flint, Michigan, a woman was killed and three others, including two teenage boys, were injured at a party shortly after midnight on Saturday, WJRT reported. In Wichita, Kansas, four people were shot at an after-party, including a 36-year-old man hit in the face by a stray bullet while looking out of his window, KAKE reported.

In Birmingham, Alabama, gunfire erupted near vendors outside Legion Field shortly before 8pm on Saturday, following the annual Magic City Classic football game. One person was killed and eight wounded, police said. According to reports, mayor of Birmingham, Randall Woodfin said a 17-year-old was taken into custody with a firearm fitted with a Glock conversion switch.

Delaware reported two mass shootings within just over an hour on Saturday night. State police said nine people were shot at an outdoor party in Ellendale shortly before 10pm. A 17-year-old girl later died, while the victims were aged between 17 and 22.

At around 11.13pm, six people were shot along Main Street near the University of Delaware in Newark. All were taken to hospitals, police said. The incidents prompted governor Matt Meyer to condemn the violence, saying, “This is not normal. We must never accept gun violence as a part of life in Delaware.”

Near Edinburg, Texas, seven people were wounded at a Halloween birthday party shortly before midnight, according to the Hidalgo county sheriff’s office. All sustained non-life-threatening injuries, KRGV reported. In Fayetteville, Arkansas, six people were shot and taken to hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries, police said.

Shootings near campuses and nightlife districts

In Bloomington, Illinois, a 19-year-old woman was killed and seven others injured in a shooting on a residential street near Illinois Wesleyan University. According to report, in Bloomington, Indiana, seven people aged between 17 and 27 were injured in gunfire near a downtown crowd. Police detained a person who fled with a firearm but had not established whether the individual had fired it.

In Jacksonville, a 17-year-old girl was killed while waiting in line for a Halloween party at around 1.45am, with two others wounded. Just over two hours later, gunfire at a house party killed a 20-year-old man and injured nine others. The Jacksonville sheriff’s office said both incidents followed fights that escalated into shootings.

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. She was in stable condition.

Different estimates of the shooting toll

CNN’s preliminary estimate put the toll at 13 killed and 92 injured, based partly on figures compiled by the Gun Violence Archive. The New York Times later reported at least 24 deaths and 94 injuries, reflecting different preliminary tallies of the weekend’s shootings.

The incidents 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, as earlier reported by RNA Media.

According to reports, Halloween was the most dangerous day of the year for minors. Experts have cited large gatherings, alcohol and drug consumption, and access to firearms as factors that can increase the risk of violence.