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At least 24 people were killed and 94 others injured in a series of shootings across the United States over the Halloween weekend, with incidents reported from California to Delaware, according to media reports.
The shootings occurred in entertainment districts, university campuses, shopping centres and private gatherings, SBS News reported.
Dallas, Texas, recorded the highest casualties, with three separate shootings reported in the Deep Ellum entertainment district within about an hour and 15 minutes on the night of October 31. The incidents left four people dead and 15 injured.
Initial investigations suggest the three shootings were unrelated.
Dallas Police Chief Daniel Comeaux said authorities had detained suspects and were investigating whether the incidents were connected.
In Birmingham, Alabama, gunfire erupted near a stadium and an outdoor tailgating area following a college football game between Alabama State University and Alabama A&M University. The rivalry match drew around 70,000 spectators.
One person was killed and eight others injured, including two who were critically wounded. Police arrested a 17-year-old suspect carrying multiple firearms.
Birmingham Police Chief Michael Pickett said the first shooting occurred near a crowded vendor area, adding that it was fortunate more people had not been injured.
Several other shootings were reported at university campuses and Halloween gatherings.
At Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington, Illinois, a shooting early on November 1 killed a 19-year-old woman and injured seven others. In Jacksonville, Florida, a 17-year-old girl was shot dead while waiting in line to enter a Halloween party.
A shooting at a party at the University of Colorado Boulder left one student dead and another injured, while six people were wounded in a shooting near the University of Delaware campus.
In Mississippi, a shooting at a club killed two people and injured four others.
Shopping areas were also affected. In Fairfield, California, a shooting inside a Halloween costume shop at a shopping centre on October 31 killed a 31-year-old pregnant woman and injured six others.
In Arkansas, shootings near a shopping centre southwest of Little Rock and in Fayetteville left one person dead and several others hospitalised.
In Madison Heights, Michigan, an argument between two 21-year-old men at a Halloween supply shop ended with one of them being shot and wounded.
In Detroit, a five-year-old girl wearing a Halloween costume was injured by a stray bullet while playing in a back room of her home.
Law enforcement officials and violence prevention experts have warned that alcohol and drug consumption during Halloween, combined with easy access to firearms, can contribute to violence at festive gatherings, The New York Times reported.
Media reports have also highlighted a recurring pattern of increased violent incidents during the Halloween holiday period in previous years.
Source : The New York Times
