Gun violence erupted across the U.S. over Memorial Day weekend: At least 20 mass shootings left 16 people dead and over 80 injured.
The Gun Violence Archive, which tracks mass shootings, logged 20 incidents in which at least four people were injured or killed, not including shooters, from Friday afternoon through Monday night.
The bloodshed started with a spree in Arizona, where a 20-year-old man was accused of killing four people and injuring one in five different shootings in the Phoenix area.
Over the next three days, people were killed and injured in Virginia, Mississippi, New Mexico, Illinois and more. And Monday evening, as Memorial Day revelers in Hollywood Beach, Florida, celebrated the holiday, nine people were injured by gunfire along a boardwalk.
Here’s what we know about the weekend’s shootings:
9 injured in boardwalk shooting in Hollywood Beach
Multiple people were in custody on Tuesday after a Monday evening shooting in Hollywood Beach, Florida, police said.
The gunfire started just before 7 p.m., injuring six adults and three children at the boardwalk about 20 miles north of Miami. The victims were all in stable condition, and one was in surgery as of Monday night. The ages of the victims ranged from 1 to 65.
LATEST UPDATES:What we know after 9 shot at Florida’s Hollywood Beach
Hollywood Mayor Josh Levy said in a statement the gunfire was between two groups from outside the city.
“It is completely unacceptable that innocent people spending time with family on a holiday weekend have been affected by a shooting altercation between two groups who came into our city with guns and with no regard for the safety of the law abiding public around them,” Levy said.
3 killed in shootout at New Mexico motorcycle rally
Police said three men killed at a motorcycle rally in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Saturday were part of rival outlaw biker gangs, the Bandidos and the Waterdogs.
Three other bikers are facing charges, including two who were among the five injured by gunfire at the rally. The victims were identified as 26-year-old Anthony Silva of Los Lunas, 46-year-old Damian Breaux of Socorro and 46-year-old Randy Sanchez of Albuquerque.
The Red River Memorial Motorcycle Rally anticipated attendance of 28,000 bikers for “one crazy party,” the town’s website said.
“It’s very tragic,” Red River Mayor Linda Calhoun said. “It’s the first time we’ve ever had anything like this.”
4 killed in Arizona spree
Iren Byers, 20, was arrested on four counts of murder and one count of attempted murder after a spree of four separate shootings in Mesa and one in Phoenix on Friday and Saturday.
Police said Byers shot and killed 41-year-old Nicholas Arnstad on Friday at about 3:40 p.m. next to a canal in Phoenix. That night at about 10:30 p.m., officers responded to a report of a person found dead at a park in Mesa and discovered the body of Julian Cox, 41. While at the park, they heard more gunfire, and at about 12:15 a.m. Saturday found 36-year-old Angela Fonseca shot but still alive. Fonseca is in stable condition in a hospital. Police found Stephen Young, 41, killed near a Mesa bus station at about 1 a.m. Saturday. While searching the area for a suspect, police also found 40-year-old John Swain dead just after 2 a.m.
Police said Byers was cooperative and took responsibility for the killings, which police say he committed with a 9mm handgun. Local station KPNX reported that court documents showed Byers said he shot and killed his victims because they were using drugs or said they wanted to use fentanyl, or in one case, because they were homeless and not from the area. Byers told police he shot Fonseca, who was injured but survived, because she angered him, KPNX reported.
READ MORE:Suspect arrested in 5 separate Arizona shootings that left 4 dead
Tracker: At least 16 killed, dozens injured
These were some of the mass shootings around the country over the holiday weekend:
- Eight people were injured, including one critically, in a stadium parking lot in Chester, Pennsylvania, at about 11:30 p.m. on Sunday where police said about 100 young people gathered to celebrate the approaching end of the school year and the holiday.
- A man is in custody after one was killed and four more injured inside a Columbus, Mississippi, sports bar late Friday night, local station WLBT reported.
- A block party ended in tragedy in the small town of Marianna, Arkansas, after one person was killed and four others were injured shortly after 11 p.m. in the parking lot of an auto parts store, WREG Memphis reported.
- Police in Hollywood, South Carolina, said one person was killed and five were wounded after a shooting near a nightclub on Monday night, WCSC reported. Police had responded to the scene of a neighborhood party earlier in the evening.
Contributing: Trevor Hughes, Ellie Willard, Lillian Boyd and Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY Network; The Associated Press
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