WASHINGTON – At least six people were killed and more than 25 others were injured in mass shootings in Philadelphia and Chattanooga, Tennessee, authorities reported on Sunday, in the latest episodes of gun violence following atrocities in Texas, New York, and Oklahoma.
Around midnight on Saturday, multiple shooters started fire in Philadelphia’s bustling South Street, which is lined with pubs and restaurants. Officials say two males and a woman were slain. In the concluding moments of a 22-second security footage from the Philadelphia incident, individuals on a packed street ran in panic, apparently after gunshots were fired. There was no sound in the clip. Reuters was able to confirm the video’s authenticity by using geolocation.
“When this gunfire broke out, there were hundreds of people just enjoying South Street like they do every Saturday,” Philadelphia Police Inspector D.F. Pace stated.
Three people were killed and 14 others were injured in a shooting near a club in Chattanooga, according to authorities, who added that two individuals died from gunshot wounds and one person died from injuries after being struck by a vehicle while fleeing the area.
Three people were hurt when they attempted to run and were hit by cars, according to Tennessee officials, who added that several of the injured were in critical condition.
The shootings came after 10 people were slain in a grocery store in Buffalo, New York; 21 people were killed in an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas; and four people were killed in a medical building in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
According to police, officers saw “many active shooters shooting into the crowd,” with one officer being “within approximately 10 to 15 yards” of one of the gunmen. According to them, the cop fired at the suspect.
The whereabouts of the Philadelphia shooters were unknown at the time, according to police. Authorities said they found two handguns at the site, one of which had an extended magazine. There were no arrests made right away.
The attack was termed by Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney as “horrific, nasty, and pointless.”
The fatalities were 22, 27, and 34 years old, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer, while the injured ranged in age from 17 to 69 years old.
There were many shooters in Chattanooga as well, but Chief Celeste Murphy of the Chattanooga Police Department claimed it was an isolated incident and that authorities did not believe there was a continuing public safety concern. More information about the shooting was not immediately available.
Advocates for gun safety are urging the US government to take more aggressive measures to reduce gun violence. According to the Gun Violence Archive, a nonprofit research organisation, there have been at least 240 mass shootings in the United States so far this year. A mass shooting is defined as a shooting that kills at least four persons, excluding the shooter.
