Juneteenth marred by mass shootings across U.S., 12 killed and over 100 wounded

AP Photo/Jeenah Moon

A chilling wave of mass shootings echoed across the United States during the Juneteenth celebrations, resulting in 12 fatalities and leaving more than 100 wounded since Friday. This disturbing trend, as BET reported, hints at a surge in homicides post COVID-19 pandemic.

The bloody trail of shootings extended across several cities and states, including Chicago, Milwaukee, Washington, Pennsylvania, St. Louis, Baltimore, Idaho, and Southern California.

Daniel Nagin, a public policy and statistics professor at Carnegie Mellon University, expressed concern over the noticeable uptick in violence, observing, “Some of these cases seem to be just disputes, often among adolescents, and those disputes are played out with firearms, not with fists,” the Hill reported.

In Willowbrook, Illinois, a Juneteenth gathering turned deadly as a shooting claimed one life and injured 28 others. The incident occurred in a shopping center parking lot, dubbed by authorities as "an illicit street takeover," where an estimated crowd of 200-300 had gathered.

At least 29 people shot after gunfire erupted at an illegal street takeover in Willowbrook near Chicago, Illinois. Gunshots were discharged near the intersection of Honeysuckle Rose Lane and Route 83 (Kingery Highway).https://t.co/fGRz4VuCac pic.twitter.com/0YIoOIbcNR

— Fox3 Now (@fox3news) June 18, 2023

MILWAUKEE -- Eye witness footage of shooting at a Juneteenth celebration.

Four teenage girls and two teenage boys were shot. All are OK after receiving medical attention. pic.twitter.com/rapLfoVC0W

— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) June 20, 2023

Milwaukee saw six young people shot during a Juneteenth celebration, with the incident unfolding just 20 minutes after the event's conclusion outside the Greater Philadelphia Church of God in Christ, as per local authorities.

Meanwhile, a 15-year-old boy was shot at a Juneteenth celebration at Stoner Hawkins Park in Akron, Ohio, suffering non-life-threatening injuries. The incident, for which a suspect has not yet been identified, took place around 4:30 pm at Orlando Avenue and Stoner Street.

Asheville, North Carolina's two-night Juneteenth celebration was tainted by violence as two people were shot. The Asheville Police Department arrested a 16-year-old suspect, charging him with two counts of felonious assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, inflicting serious injury.

Furthermore, a Juneteenth event at Liberty Station in San Diego witnessed a fatal shooting, leading to one death and one injury. Lt. Adam Sharki of the San Diego Police clarified 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.”