Frustrated police chiefs from multiple districts have issued stern warnings as they struggle against troubled teens
AT least nine people have died and 93 are injured after violence broke out across the country during Fourth of July celebrations.
Children and teens make up many of the victims and are some of the perpetrators, in the deadly gun and knife violence.
The various skirmishes saw angry police chiefs issue stern warnings and curfews saying they are “tired” of having to parent troubled juveniles and deal with dead kids.
Various mass casualty events linked to Independence Day festivities broke out from Friday night and spilled into the rest of the weekend.
This again sees the Fourth of July marked as one of the deadliest days of the year for the US, with the following incidents being just a fraction of the deaths and injuries that occurred this weekend.
Charlottesville children shot
Violence broke out just after 11 pm in Charlottesville, Virginia, when shots rang out on Orangedale Avenue.
Five people were shot including three children aged 9, 11 and 17, in what cops say was a gang-related shootout as the sound of fireworks was exchanged by gunshots.
The other two victims were 18 years old and 52 years old – none of those shot were the intended targets, police told WCAV.
Charlottesville Police Chief Michael Kochis called footage of the incident disturbing as it captured terrified children crying and screaming.
“You shot a 9-year-old kid. Think about that for a second,” he told those responsible as authorities continue their investigation to track down the shooters.
10 injured in Albany
Albany, New York, saw a spate of shootings and a house fire sparked by a teenager firing a flare gun on Friday night and the early hours of Saturday morning.
In total, 10 people were injured with four people shot in Madison Avenue just before 10 pm as the Empire State Plaza fireworks came to an end.
A 17-year-old boy was shot in the head and is still in a critical condition while the three others are expected to survive their injuries.
Police Chief Brendan Cox said there was a skirmish between a group of teenagers with one firing a flare gun and another firing a handgun.
Another shooting took place after 1 am on Saturday when a group of teenagers fired a handgun at people gathered at a home there – five people were shot.
The victims were made up of two 16-year-old girls, a 15-year-old girl, a 14-year-old boy, and a 41-year-old woman – all were taken to hospital and their conditions are not life-threatening.
I am tired of youth who feel violence is their only answer to conflict.
Meanwhile, a 17-year-old was shot in the foot in a third incident around 5:30 pm as officials warn of an “uptick in violence” especially among teenagers.
“Obviously there is a clear uptick in violence, specifically gun violence, both with handguns and flare guns with our teen population,” Chief Cox said.
“We continue to have teens walking around our streets and just indiscriminately firing rounds at people.”
“We cannot have that. That has to stop. And we need help to do that.”
Double shooting in North Carolina
A double shooting took place in North Carolina on Friday night and Saturday, injuring three in total – one critically.
Just after 10:15 pm after a July 4 celebration at the Truist Stadium in Winston-Salem, gun fire broke out in the parking lot injuring a juvenile.
A 16-year-old has been arrested in connection to the shooting.
Meanwhile, two people were shot at Center City Park in downtown Greensboro during festivities, causing families to run for cover.
One of the victims is in critical condition.
Winston-Salem Police Chief William H. Penn, Jr echoed the sentiments of his counterparts in other regions of the county, slamming parents and the behavior of “undisciplined and unattended juveniles”.
Source: https://www.the-sun.com/news/14639737/dead-injured-fourth-of-july-violence-mass-shootings/