At least two bystanders were shot dead at a Juneteenth celebration in Texas on Saturday night — one of several incidents of gun violence across the country. which ruined Father’s Day weekend.
An altercation between two groups of people erupted into gunfire in a free eleventh month festival co-hosted by the city of Round Rock, police said. The event began at 5 pm and shots were fired at 10:50 pm, about an hour before the scheduled end.
Neither victim was involved in the shooting, according to Round Rock Police Chief Allen Banks, and “several” other bystanders were transported to hospitals with undisclosed injuries.
“It’s a shame that we were here celebrating a wonderful event and we had a tragedy happen,” Banks said. “My thoughts and prayers go out to the victims. My condolences go out to the families of the deceased.”
Police did not identify suspects in the shooting, as those involved appeared to flee the scene immediately. Authorities asked anyone with video of the shooting or any information to contact police.
Seven people were shot in an unrelated shooting in Methuen, Massachusetts, on Sunday morning. An eighth person was injured while fleeing.
Two of the victims were in critical condition and five others are stable, authorities said. The victims’ ages range from late adolescence to 22 years old.
Police responded to the scene at 1:55 a.m. after receiving multiple 911 calls about shots fired.
Methuen Police Chief Scott McNamara said the violence erupted at what was described as a “car club meeting,” a spontaneous gathering of young people who find abandoned parking lots, often facilitated through social media. Hundreds of people gathered at this particular gathering and no suspects were identified.
These gatherings have been a problem in the area in recent years, according to McNamara, but they typically do not escalate to this level of violence.
“They are certainly a concern for our community in terms of quality of life,” McNamara said. “Typically these encounters consist of very loud music, disorderly conduct, sometimes drinking, vaping, that sort of thing.”
Law enforcement officials have already monitored social media to disrupt gatherings, issue trespassing charges and track down known “hotspots.” The location where the shooting occurred, the parking lot of a commercial area, was not a known meeting point.
Essex County District Attorney Paul Tucker told reporters that authorities are collecting a large volume of ballistic evidence. He did not specify the number, but said there appeared to be fewer than 100 bullets.
“When you think about the ballistic evidence that we’re recovering from, it’s amazing that more people haven’t been injured or killed,” Tucker said.
Several other shootings occurred over Father’s Day weekend, including one in a Michigan park that left nine people injured. An 8-year-old and a 4-year-old were among the victims of what appeared to be a random shooting at a splash pad.
Two people were killed and two others were injured at a nightclub in Columbus, Ohio, on Friday morning after an escalating verbal altercation, city police said.
A man died in a shootout with police in Tampa on Saturday night after barricading himself inside a home and allegedly killing his parents. He also allegedly injured a deputy, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said.
Last month, on Mother’s Day weekend, at least 11 people were killed in shootings across the country. About two weeks later, dozens of people were killed or injured in shootings over Memorial Day weekend.
NBCChicago reported that at least nine people died and 41 were injured in shootings across the city that weekend. Three shootings in St. Paul, Minnesota, left 10 injured between two graduation parties and another holiday gathering, according to NBC affiliate KARE.
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