12 killed, more than 100 shot in Juneteenth celebrations across the US

A number of mass shootings during Juneteenth across the US killed 12 and injured more than 100 since Friday. CBS News reported that the recent development has signaled a hike in homicides since the coronavirus pandemic.

The shootings ranged across multiple cities and states, including Chicago, Milwaukee, Washington, Pennsylvania, St. Louis, Baltimore, Idaho, and Southern California.

Daniel Nagin, a professor of public policy and statistics at Carnegie Mellon University, said: “There’s no question there’s been a spike in violence. Some of these cases seem to be just disputes, often among adolescents, and those disputes are played out with firearms, not with fists.”

One person was killed and 28 were injured in a shooting that took place at a Juneteenth event in Willowbrook, Illinois. The shooting took place in a shopping center parking lot that the authorities have called “an illicit street takeover.” It is estimated that between 200 and 300 people were gathered.

In Milwaukee, there were six youths shot during a Juneteenth celebration. According to the local authorities, the shooting took place around 4:20pm, roughly 20 minutes after the event had concluded outside Greater Philadelphia Church of God in Christ.

The victims were between 14 and 19 years old, and reports suggested that their injuries were not considered life-threatening. 

A 15-year-old boy was shot in Akron, Ohio during a Juneteenth celebration that took place at Stoner Hawkins Park. Reports noted that the boy was taken to the hospital to be treated for non-life-threatening injuries. The shooting occurred around 4:30pm at Orlando Avenue and Stoner Street. The initial reports did not designate a suspect in the shooting.

Two people were shot at a Juneteenth celebration in Asheville, North Carolina during the city’s two-night celebration of the holiday. 

According to the Asheville Police Department, a 16-year-old suspect was arrested and charged with two counts of felonious assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, inflicting serious injury in a shooting that happened at a celebration in Pack Square Park.

One person was shot and killed in San Diego during a Juneteenth event at Liberty Station on Saturday. One person was also injured in the incident.

Lt. Adam Sharki of the San Diego Police said that the shooting “appeared to be an isolated incident resulting from a dispute here at the event with one person injured and one person, unfortunately, deceased.”

Officers responded to the incident around 6:45 pm after receiving reports of multiple gun shooting at a park off Cushing Road, where hundreds of people were gathered for a concert to celebrate the city’s yearly Juneteenth event.

At the time of the initial report, no suspect had been arrested in the shooting.