Dallas, Birmingham Lead Six-State Toll as Halloween Weekends See Mass Shootings
At least six people died and dozens were injured in a series of mass shootings concentrated in nightlife districts and college towns across the United States this weekend.
By Mateo Thompson ·
Six people died and dozens more were injured in mass shootings that erupted across the United States over the Halloween weekend, according to local officials. The violence was concentrated in nightlife districts and college towns, with the highest casualty counts recorded in Texas and Alabama.
Dallas recorded the deadliest incidents in the nation's Deep Ellum neighborhood. Four people were killed and 15 others injured in a series of shootings that occurred Saturday night. Police Chief Daniel Comeaux said investigators were working to determine if the three separate shootings, which happened over a span of about an hour and 15 minutes, were related. The department had increased its police presence in the district before the violence began, but no officers were injured. Comeaux noted that some arrests were made, though he did not specify the number of suspects or the charges involved.
"This is a really big scene. It's spread out," Comeaux said.
In Birmingham, Alabama, two shootings occurred just outside Legion Field following the annual Magic City Classic football game on Saturday night. Mayor Randall Woodfin announced that one person was killed and eight others were wounded. Fire officials reported that two victims remained in critical condition as of Sunday. Nearly 70,000 fans attended the contest between Alabama State and Alabama A&M, which ended with a 31-28 victory for Alabama A&M. Birmingham Police Chief Michael Pickett stated that most spectators had left the stadium property when the first shooting began near vendors on Graymont Avenue. Police spokesperson De’Rell Freeman said one person was detained and multiple weapons were found, but the circumstances of the fatality remained unclear.
Other major incidents occurred in college towns. In Newark, Delaware, six people were shot late Saturday near the University of Delaware campus. All six were transported to hospitals, and their conditions were not immediately available. In Bloomington, Illinois, a shooting early Sunday near the campus of Illinois Wesleyan University left a 19-year-old woman dead and another woman in critical condition. Six others sustained non-life-threatening injuries. In Fayetteville, Arkansas, six people were hospitalized with gunshot wounds from an early Sunday shooting near the University of Arkansas. Police said a preliminary investigation indicated an altercation preceded the shooting, but no arrests had been made.
Two separate attacks at Spirit Halloween stores also claimed two lives on Friday. In Fairfield, California, police described the shooting inside a store as a targeted attack that killed a 31-year-old pregnant woman and wounded six others. In Madison Heights, Michigan, a 21-year-old man was fatally shot Friday afternoon. A bystander who was assaulted by a crowd while officers took a suspect into custody was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries. Officials said there were no immediate arrests in either California incident.
