Deadly Fourth of July: At least six killed in shootings, explosions that leave dozens wounded across the country
Fourth of July celebrations across the country were marred by violence that left at least six people dead and scores injured in multiple cities.
In Brooklyn, New York’s Coney Island neighborhood, a man in a black ski mask opened fire on a family barbecue late Saturday night, wounding at least eight people, including four children. Seven victims are expected to survive, but a 21-year-old woman remains in critical condition after being shot in the chest, New York City police said. The gunman fled on foot, and authorities are working to identify and apprehend him.
In Florida, a 19-year-old was killed and six others were wounded by gunfire in downtown Pensacola after 1 a.m. Sunday. Pensacola Police Chief Eric Winstrom said at a news conference that the shooting appeared targeted and that no one was in custody. He noted that many young people, some as young as middle-school age, had been out unaccompanied that evening.
“The youngest victim in this case was 16. The age range was 16 to 26 of the seven victims — very young, innocent kids out there,” Winstrom said.
A shooting also erupted after 3 a.m. Sunday in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Police responding to the 2200 block of Oliver Street found one woman dead; eight adults were treated for non-life-threatening gunshot wounds, the Fort Wayne Police Department said.
In Gary, Indiana, police responded to two separate shootings early Sunday, one of which killed a 10-year-old boy.
The first shooting unfolded at 12:34 a.m. in the area of 19th Avenue and Hanley Street, where six gunshot victims took themselves to a hospital for treatment, Gary police said in a statement.
Minutes later, at 12:49 a.m., police were dispatched to the 200 block of Chase Street after more gunfire. In that shooting, a 10-year-old boy and a 50-year-old man took themselves to a hospital with gunshot wounds, and the boy was later pronounced dead. The 50-year-old remains in critical condition.
Investigations into both shootings remains ongoing.
In Compton, California, a woman and a man were killed and three othersinjured at a large Fourth of July party at an apartment complex in the 700 block of West Laurel Street around 11:30 p.m. Saturday, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said. The two victims were pronounced deceased at the scene. Three others — a man, a woman, and a female juvenile — were taken to hospitals; the man is in critical condition, and the other two sustained non-life-threatening injuries, the sheriff’s office said.
In Dayton, Ohio, four people were injured in a shooting on the evening of July 3 in the Oregon District, a neighborhood known for nightlife and restaurants, according to a statement from the Oregon District Business Association. All four sustained non-life-threatening injuries. Association president Asha Parson said the shooting occurred after businesses and bars had closed and after security and police had ended their shifts for the night.
Some tragedies unfolded closer to home.
In Canton, Ohio, 46-year-old woman was shot in the back while asleep inbed, after a suspect and others reportedly fired weapons into the air and set off fireworks to celebrate the holiday late Friday night. The woman was hospitalized in critical condition.
The suspect, Darius J. Leishman, 24, was arrested and charged with felonious assault and improperly discharging firearm into a habitation.
“The idea that firing weapons randomly into the air has no consequences, or knowing and ignoring those consequences is outrageous,” Canton Police Chief John Gabbard said in a statement. “‘Celebratory gunfire’ is dangerous and illegal. It is heartbreaking that this victim had to suffer critical injuries to serve as an example of what should be clear and obvious to everyone.”
In St. Louis, Missouri, a 17-year-old boy was killed in a shooting around 12 a.m. Saturday in the 2100 block of Linton Avenue, police said. Two other victims, both 16-year-old boys, were dropped off at a hospital with gunshot wounds.
In Chino, California, a fireworks explosion killed one person and critically injured two others. Police responding to a reported vehicle fire in the 5600 block of D street at 8:30 p.m. Saturday found that the blast — believed to have been caused by a large quantity of ignited fireworks — had injured several people. Three adults were hospitalized with severe injuries; one, a woman in her 20s, later died.
Derion Tradon James Jr., 28, of Hesperia, was detained and booked on an involuntary manslaughter charge. Chino police said the case will be submitted to the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office for review; the investigation is ongoing.
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