More than 220 people were killed over the 4 July weekend in the United States due to gun violence, harrowing figures show – with shootings in nearly every state also responsible for hundreds of injuries.
The Gun Violence Archive collates data about fatalities and injuries linked to incidents involving firearms, in turn producing ‘near real-time reporting of American gun violence incidents’.
Set up in 2013, the independent non-profit database collects and validates its information daily from more than 7,500 law enforcement, media, government and commercial sources, and shares all incident reports and corresponding data on its website.
Its data for the 4 July weekend this year, a popular holiday in America, show that there were more than 500 instances of shootings documented nationwide between Friday and Monday, with CBS reporting that records were updated to reveal the distressing figures yesterday, Tuesday 5 July.
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According to the outlet, gun crime killed at least 220 people over the weekend, while there were only five states where one or more shootings were not reported during that time frame.
Of these incidents, at least 11 were classed as mass shootings by the database, having listed 315 mass shootings across the country since the beginning of the year.
On Monday, a 4 July parade in Highland Park, Illinois, descended into tragedy when a mass shooting left seven dead and injured more than two dozen.
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Suspect Robert E. Crimo III, 21, was later charged with seven counts of first-degree murder - charges that, if convicted, could lead to a mandatory life sentence, according to Lake County State's Attorney Eric Rinehart, who said further charges are also expected to come.
Following the incident, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker shared his condolences to those affected, saying in a statement: “There are no words for the kind of evil that robs our neighbours of their hopes, their dreams, their futures.
“There are no words I can offer to lift the pain of those they leave behind. Please know that our state grieves with you, that MK and I grieve with you."
US President Joe Biden said he was 'shocked' by the 'senseless gun violence that has yet again brought grief to an American community on this Independence Day'.
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Praising the work of first responders and law enforcement, Biden added: "I recently signed the first major bipartisan gun reform legislation in almost thirty years into law, which includes actions that will save lives. But there is much more work to do, and I’m not going to give up fighting the epidemic of gun violence."
Vice President Kamala Harris also visited Highland Park on Tuesday evening, telling reporters that the country must 'stand together and speak out' on gun violence,
"We’re here for you, and we stand with you," Harris said.
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"And of course, as we always say - because it is true - our prayers are with you.
"The President and I and our administration have put all of the resources and will continue to put all of the resources that the Mayor and the Chief and others need in terms of the federal assistance. So the FBI and the ATF are here."
Saying there was 'a lot of healing' that is 'both physical and emotional' that needs to happen, adding: "We’ll deal with what we need to deal with in terms of also, as we move forward, all agreeing that we’ve got to be smarter as a country in terms of who has access to what and, in particular, assault weapons. And we got to take this stuff seriously, as seriously as you are - because you have been forced to have to take it seriously.
If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence contact Cruse Bereavement Care via their national helpline on 0808 808 1677
Jess Hardiman