Unfortunate Facts On Independence Day: Mass Shootings In Urban Areas
Happy July 4 to all, well, not for 22-year-old Cynthia Quadalupe Santos, not for 18-year-old Aaliyah Gonzalez, not for 20-year-old Kylis Fagbemi, not for 17-year-old Makao Moore.
The four young people were among at least 12 people killed and more than 100 injured in mass shootings in communities across the U.S. since Friday.
And a belated shout out to most Americans who enjoyed their cook outs and days at the pool on Memorial Day, except for Anthony Silva, 26, of Los Lunas. N.M.; Randy Sanchez, 46, of Albuquerque, N.M.; and Damian Breaux, 46, of Socorro, N.M. They were among at least 16 people dead and dozens more injured in at least eight states over Memorial Day weekend at beaches, high schools and motorcycle rallies, among other locations. The victims ranged in age from teenagers to people in their 60s.
For many Americans, the Juneteenth weekend was a time to celebrate the order given on June 19, 1865, by Major General Gordon Granger proclaiming freedom for enslaved people in Texas, two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued. But there was only tragedy and tears for at least 12 people who were killed and 100 injured over what should have been a celebratory Juneteenth.
So far this year, more than 800 children and teenagers have been killed by guns, which includes homicides and suicides, according to the Gun Violence Archive, which recorded 52 mass shootings on the Fourth of July over the past decade, averaging just over five a year, and more than on any other given day.
The headlines would scream out if the violence was at a school, a synagogue, a church, a shopping mall or any suburban gathering. There would be the gratuitous prayers offered by hypocritical politicians and endless editorials once again demanding sane gun controls. The call would go out far and wide to search for answers to the violence and to do whatever it takes to protect the youths of our nation. And conservative news outlets would blame “liberal Democrats” or simply blame the victims for the violence.
But not now because the violence over the July 4, Memorial Day and Juneteenth holidays was largely restricted to impoverished areas and the victims were by and large African Americans and members of other minority groups.
Instead of even lip service concern, Republicans like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is in a cat fight battle to the bottom with trump to win the dubious prize of running the most heinous campaigns to limit the rights and protections for the LGBTQ community. New terrorist groups, like Moms for Liberty, keep up their crusade to fill local school boards with like-minded bigots and the Supreme Court is busy destroying time honored protections for minorities. And the NRA maintains its iron grip on Republicans who continue to water down gun laws, allowing more concealed weapons without permits and stubbornly refusing to ban semi-automatic rifles and high capacity magazines.
And not a peep is heard for Cynthia Quadalupe Santos, Aaliyah Gonzalez, Kylis Fagbemi, Anthony Silva, Randy Sanchez, or Damian Breaux.
Shortly before midnight Monday, the carnage began at a Fort Worth, Texas, Fourth of July celebration. When it was over, three people were dead and eight injured. The gunfire erupted as several hundred revelers gathered in the city’s historically African American community of Como for the annual ComoFest, a Fourth of July celebration. Residents started ComoFest as an extension of the neighborhood’s Fourth of July parade, which has been celebrated for more than 70 years.
One victim was Cynthia Quadalupe Santos. Identities of other victims are not yet known. As of Tuesday morning, there were no arrests and a motive was unclear.
In 2021, eight people were shot and wounded near a car wash following the inaugural ComoFest.
A July 4 gathering in southwest Philadelphia ended up with five people dead after a heavily armed gunman wearing a bulletproof vest opened fire. The dead were all men between the ages of 20 and 59, while two children, age 2 and 13, were hospitalized and were stable.
A male suspect was taken into custody during a subsequent shootout in a nearby alleyway and police said they had recovered an AR-15 style, semiautomatic rifle, a handgun and another gun. The suspect was wearing a bulletproof vest containing “multiple magazines” and had a police scanner. Police did not know of any connections between any of the victims and the alleged shooter.
In recent years, Philadelphia has had more deadly shootings than far bigger cities. There have been 212 homicides in 2023 so far. While it is a decline of 19 percent from 2022 it is hardly a time for congratulations.
Hundreds of young people were dancing and singing along to the muisic of rappers at the Brooklyn Day block party in South Baltimore, Md. Without warning, a barrage of gunfire left two young people dead, including Aaliyah Gonzalez, Kylis Fagbemi and 28 more wounded. Half of those shot at the Brooklyn Homes housing project were younger than 18. Gonzalez’s mother said she had recently thrown a party for her daughter’s high school graduation. Baltimore has one of the highest homicide rates in the nation.
Like many impoverished neighborhoods, Brooklyn Homes is “a community very under-resourced, a lot of folks struggling and guns are readily available,” said Daniel Webster, a professor focusing on gun violence reduction strategies at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore.
The atmosphere is compounded by the high temperatures, alcohol consumption and late hours which can leave tempers short and senses dulled.
“So you put that brew together with the well-into-the-night gatherings, you’ve got the potential, anyway, for a mass shooting,” said Webster.
The Gun Violence Archive reported that over the past decade, only 10 other shootings have resulted in so many victims, although many mass shootings have taken more lives. The city had an average of about 333 killings each year from 2015 through 2022.
In Red River, N.M., three people were killed and five others were injured at a motorcycle rally Saturday evening. Police identified the dead as Anthony Silva, 26, of Los Lunas; Randy Sanchez, 46, of Albuquerque; and Damian Breaux, 46, of Socorro.
Police arrested Jacob David Castillo, 30, of Rio Rancho, N.M. Castillo was injured and hospitalized.
In another incident, eight people were injured early Sunday morning in a shooting near a car wash in Fort Worth, Texas, after an argument between a group of men. Most of the victims, who are in stable condition, are believed to have been innocent bystanders.
In Norfolk, Va., four children were shot on Friday afternoon, including a 6-year-old girl who is in stable condition. The victims also included a 14-year-old boy, a 16-year-old girl, and a 16-year- old boy, all of whom are expected to recover. Police arrested and charged a 15-year-old boy in connection with the shooting.
In Willowbrook, Ill., at least 23 people were shot, one fatally, early Sunday in a suburban Chicago parking lot where hundreds of people had gathered to celebrate Juneteenth. Authorities said it was a “peaceful gathering” that turned violent as a number of people fired multiple shots into the crowd.
In Washington state, two people were killed and two others were injured when a shooter began firing “randomly” into a crowd at a campground where many people were staying to attend the nearby “Beyond Wonderland” electronic dance music festival on Saturday night. The suspect was shot by law enforcement officers and taken into custody.
In downtown St. Louis, Mo., a social gathering early Sunday was the scene of a shooting that left Makao Moore, 17, dead and 11 teenagers wounded. A minor who had a handgun was in custody as a person of interest. Victims ranged from 15 to 19 years old, including a 17-year-old girl who was trampled as she fled. Shell casings from AR-style rifles and other firearms were scattered on the ground.
A 17-year-old was killed and 11 others, ranging in age from 11 to 19 were injured in a shooting at a block party attended by several hundred people in Toledo, Ohio on Sunday night. Two victims, a 51-year-old and a 19-year-old, were in critical condition and the nine who were wounded were in stable condition, with ages ranging from an 11-year-old to three 19-year-olds.
In Cincinnati, Ohio, a 16-year-old and a 19-year-old were killed and three others injured at a holiday celebration at a park late Sunday night. Two men “engaged in a verbal altercation that resulted in the two exchanging gunfire” and the other victims were caught in the crossfire, police said.
Two girls, age 16 and 17, and a 15-year-old boy were wounded in the shooting. The 17-year-old girl was in critical condition with a gunshot wound to her back while the other two victims suffered gunshot wounds that were not life-threatening.