America’s violent weekend: US rocked by back-to-back shootings across the country

Americans awoke Friday to news of yet another mass shooting, this time at a FedEx facility in Indianapolis, where eight people were killed late Thursday.

By the end of the weekend, at least a half dozen more mass shootings took place across the country.

Since March 16, when eight people were killed and one wounded in shootings at three Atlanta-area spas, at least 50 mass shootings have been reported in the United States. CNN defines a mass shooting as incident with four or more people killed or wounded by gunfire — excluding the shooter.

Some shootings this weekend fell short of that definition. But together, they underscored the fact the United States faces not just the Covid-19 pandemic, but a gun violence epidemic, as well.

Chicago

A 7-year-old girl died after she was shot multiple times in the drive-thru lane of a McDonald’s in Chicago Sunday afternoon, according to CNN affiliate WLS.

Police officers drove Jaslyn Adams in their squad car to the hospital where she was pronounced dead, Chicago Police Public Information Officer Sally Bown said.

Jaslyn was with a 29-year-old man at the time of the shooting that WLS identifies as her father. The man was shot in the torso and is hospitalized in serious condition, police said.

The shooting is under investigation. No one is in custody, police said Monday.

“I am heartbroken and angered that a 7-year-old child was killed this afternoon on Chicago’s West Side,” Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said in a tweet Sunday. “This unthinkable act of violence has no place here. The epidemic of gun violence cutting our children’s lives short cannot go on.”

Austin, Texas

Three people were killed in a shooting in Austin, Texas, on Sunday, according to Austin-Travis County EMS. Police said the incident occurred when a man shot his ex-wife and two others as a scheduled custodial visit was to happen.

The other two victims — a woman and a man — also knew Broderick, police said.

Emergency responders found the three victims near two cars that appear to have been in an accident, officials said.

Authorities identified the suspect as 41-year-old Stephen Nicholas Broderick, a former Travis County Sheriff’s Office detective. He was charged last year with sexual assault of a child, a sheriff’s office spokesperson told CNN.

Broderick was arrested Monday morning without incident while walking down a road in Manor, Texas, Police Chief Ryan Phipps told CNN. The suspect had a pistol in his waistband, Phipps said.

Broderick resigned from the sheriff’s office last year following his arrest in June, and he was released on bond later that month.

Kenosha, Wisconsin

A shooting at a tavern in southeast Wisconsin early Sunday left three people dead and three others wounded, according to the Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office.

Gunfire erupted at The Somers House tavern around 12:40 a.m. Sunday, according to Sheriff David G. Beth.

On Monday, the Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office said Rakayo Alandis Vinson, 24, has been arrested in connection to the shooting.

Police allege Vinson got in a scuffle with three men and shot them as he returned to the bar. Three more people were hit by bullets meant for the other men, Beth said.

Dozens of law enforcement officials from at least seven agencies and eight fire departments were working the case, which involved several crime scenes, the sheriff’s office said.

Columbus, Ohio

One person was killed and five others — including a 12-year-old — were wounded by gunfire Saturday as they attended a vigil for a shooting victim in Columbus, Ohio, the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office said.

According to a news release from the sheriff’s office, a small group had gathered in the parking lot of a Dollar General to remember Jarrin Hickman, who was murdered there a year ago.

A dark-colored SUV drove by around 7:30 p.m., the sheriff’s office said, and the people inside started shooting at the crowd. Five people were struck by gunfire and were hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries.

But 39-year-old Latoya Carpenter was killed as she drove by the store, the sheriff’s office said. A bullet hit Carpenter in the head and her vehicle crashed into a parked car. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

No suspects were in custody, the news release said, and the shooting remained under investigation.

Omaha, Nebraska

A 21-year-old was killed in a shooting Saturday at Westroads Mall in Omaha, Nebraska, according to Omaha police. A 22-year-old was injured but was expected to survive.

Police arrested two people in connection to the shooting: A 16-year-old was arrested on suspicion of first-degree murder, while an 18-year-old was arrested on suspicion of being accessory to the homicide.

The shooting happened around noon, said Omaha Police Lt. Neal Bonacci, sending customers including Celia Davis searching for cover.

Davis told CNN affiliate KMTV she and her 3-year-old daughter waited for help with about 10 strangers in a bathroom.

While they were hiding, Davis said she texted her mother and her boyfriend, “I love you guys.”

LaPlace, Louisiana

Nine juveniles were wounded by gunfire during a 12-year-old’s birthday party Saturday in LaPlace, Louisiana, a suburb of New Orleans, authorities said.

Deputies found multiple people shot when they responded to the scene Saturday, officials said in a statement posted to the St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s Office Facebook page.

The agency initially said six people were injured, but in a subsequent post said nine were shot or grazed by gunfire, including two who remain in a hospital — a 14-year-old boy shot in the head and a 16-year-old hit in the stomach.

The shooting started “when verbal confrontations during a child’s birthday party led to gunfire,” officials said.

The sheriff’s office said that it is not aware of any fatalities related to the Saturday shooting, and no arrests have been made.