Shootings across the U.S. over the weekend before Halloween have left at least 11 people dead and more than 70 injured, authorities said.
The deaths between Friday and Sunday included two in Tampa, Florida, three in Texarkana, Texas, and two each in Dodge City, Kansas; San Antonio, Texas; and Mansfield, Ohio, according to police. Many involved altercations arising from Halloween celebrations, including the mass shooting in Tampa’s Ybor City section early Sunday as bars were closing and scores of people in costumes spilled out on the streets before groups began arguing.
The spate of weekend violence unfolded as people mourn the 18 people killed by a gunman last week in Lewiston, Maine. More than 1,000 people turned out Sunday for a vigil.
“A neighborhood bar. A bowling alley. A Halloween party. It seems we can’t go one day without a mass shooting in America,” said Kris Brown, president of Brady, a gun violence prevention group. “Anger plus firearms is a deadly combination that can escalate any situation into a warzone in seconds.”
One suspect, 22-year-old Tyrell Phillips, is charged with second-degree murder in the Tampa case and there may be other arrests, Police Chief Lee Bercaw said Sunday. Police initially said there were 18 injured in Tampa but have now revised that number to 16, with five remaining hospitalized Sunday night.
In Indianapolis, a shooting early Sunday at a large party left a teenager dead and nine other teens and young adults between the ages of 16 and 21 injured, police said. The injured were in stable condition.
As of Monday morning, there have been no arrests, said Officer Samone Burris, who said “the case remains active and the investigation is ongoing.” Multiple firearms were found at the scene.
