Multiple shootings across the United States kill at least 13 and injure more than 90 over Halloween weekend
A series of gun attacks in several states during Halloween weekend resulted in at least 13 deaths and over 90 injuries, prompting statements from officials and renewed calls for action on gun violence.
More than a dozen people were killed and over 90 injured in a wave of shootings that occurred during Halloween weekend in locations ranging from California to Alabama and Delaware. The incidents included a mass shooting at a Spirit Halloween store in Fairfield, California, where a pregnant woman was among the dead, and two separate attacks after the Magic City Classic football game in Birmingham, Alabama, that left one person dead and eight wounded.
In Delaware, two shootings within an hour hit an outdoor party in Ellendale and a crowded Main Street near the University of Delaware, resulting in nine victims at the first scene, including a 17-year-old who later died, and six injured at the second. Governor Matt Meyer said, "We must never accept gun violence as a part of life in Delaware."
Other incidents were reported in Michigan, Kansas, Texas, Illinois, Indiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, Texas, and Florida. In Jacksonville, Florida, two separate party shootings left two dead and 11 injured. Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters expressed condolences to the victims.
Authorities in several jurisdictions, including Dallas Police Chief Daniel Comeaux and Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin, noted increased police presence for Halloween events but said the scale of the violence was unprecedented. University of Delaware President Laura A. Carlson asked the community to keep victims in their thoughts as they receive care.
Preliminary data from the Gun Violence Archive indicate the weekend was among the deadliest recent periods of gun violence in the United States.