At least 24 people have been killed and 94 injured in shootings and other violence linked to Halloween celebrations across the United States. The incidents occurred near nightclubs, clothing stores, stadiums and university campuses from California to Delaware.
The New York Times reported that multiple shootings took place across the country from October 31 to November 1. The toll was compiled from information from The New York Times, NBC and The Associated Press, along with police statements.
In Dallas, Texas, four people were killed and 15 injured in three separate shootings in the Deep Ellum area early Sunday.
Deep Ellum is one of Dallas’s most popular entertainment districts, with bars, restaurants, nightclubs and music venues. Large crowds gathered there on Saturday night for Halloween.
Dallas police said the first shooting occurred at 12:20 a.m. in the 2600 block of Elm Street. The second occurred at 1:05 a.m. in the 2600 block of Main Street, and the third at 1:35 a.m. in the 200 block of South Crowdus Street.
Nineteen people were shot in the three incidents. Four died. Emergency workers took some of the 15 injured people to hospitals, while others went on their own.
Dallas Police Chief Daniel Comeaux said extra security had been arranged for Halloween. Officers nearby reached the scenes quickly after the shootings were reported. Investigators are working to identify those involved.
Deaths in Florida and Mississippi
At least 13 people were shot in two separate incidents in Jacksonville, Florida. Two died. Jacksonville police said two of the injured people had been hit unintentionally.
In another part of the city, a shooting occurred at about 3:45 a.m. Sunday after a party attended by more than 100 people spilled into the street. Ten people were shot. A 20-year-old man was killed. A 15-year-old girl was in stable condition, while another injured person was in critical condition.
Two people were killed and four injured in a shooting at a nightclub in Jackson, Mississippi.
A shooting also occurred at a clothing store in Northern California. A pregnant mother of four was killed and six people were injured, including two teenagers in critical condition.
Police went to a trailer park in Oklahoma City after reports of a disturbance during a Halloween party. One person suffered multiple gunshot wounds to the leg and was expected to survive. Two people were also killed by a vehicle at the scene, although the circumstances of their deaths remained unclear.
Shots near campuses and stadiums
Several shootings occurred near university campuses and educational events during Halloween celebrations, leaving more than two dozen people shot.
One person was killed and eight injured in a shooting outside Legion Field stadium in Birmingham, Alabama. A rivalry football game known as the Magic City Classic between Alabama A&M and Alabama State had taken place at the stadium earlier.
Police assisted eight people who had been shot near the Illinois Wesleyan University campus in Bloomington, Illinois. A 19-year-old woman was pronounced dead at the scene. The other seven injured people were taken to local hospitals, with one in critical condition.
Police also heard gunshots near Indiana University’s campus in Bloomington, Indiana, about 200 miles southeast of Bloomington, Illinois. Halloween and homecoming events were taking place there.
A police statement said several people in the city centre had wounds consistent with gunshots. Seven people were taken to hospital. Police detained someone who fled the scene carrying a firearm, but could not confirm whether that person had fired the shots.
Six people were injured in a shooting near the University of Delaware in Newark, Delaware. Six others were hospitalized after a shooting in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Police initially believed the Arkansas incident followed a dispute.
Experts say violence is difficult to prevent
Gun-violence experts say police face difficulty preventing such incidents completely even when Halloween celebrations are considered a heightened risk.
Alexis Piquero was director of the U.S. Justice Department’s Bureau of Justice Statistics during former President Joe Biden’s administration. He is now a criminologist at the University of Miami.
He told The New York Times that police cannot be stationed at every bar or car park. That makes it difficult to control violence occurring simultaneously at different locations during a festival.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report