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Tag: mass shooting

  • Senate panel hears testimony on assault weapons ban, other ideas for gun violence prevention

    Students from St. Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists walk out to protest at the Minnesota State Capitol joining faith groups and gun control advocates in calling for a ban on assault weapons Friday, Sept. 5, 2025 following the mass shooting at Annunciation Church. (Photo by Nicole Neri/Minnesota Reformer)

    Lawmakers heard testimony from parents, first responders and faith leaders Monday as they considered a myriad of proposals to address gun violence in the aftermath of a shooting at the Church of the Annunciation in Minneapolis that left two children dead and more than 20 others injured. 

    Gov. Tim Walz said he will call a special session on gun violence this fall, and the Senate Gun Violence Prevention Working Group is evaluating which proposals could be viable in a divided Legislature. 

    An assault weapons ban — and any other law regulating firearms — is unlikely to pass, given Republicans’ temporary one-seat majority in the House, and dissent within the Democratic-Farmer-Labor party over gun control bills. The House is expected to return to a tie after a Sept. 16 special election in Brooklyn Park to fill the seat left vacant by the murder of Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman. 

    The working group heard testimony from five parents of Annunciation students who were hurt in the shooting, and from doctors who treated the injured students, all in support of a bill that would ban civilian ownership of “semiautomatic military-style assault weapons” and high-capacity magazines — those that hold more than ten rounds. 

    “It is up to our lawmakers to decide which weapon our next mass shooter is armed with,” said Malia Kimbrell, the parent of a third-grade student at Annunciation who was injured in the shooting.

    Dr. Tim Kummer, medical director of community outreach for Hennepin EMS, responded to Annunciation in the minutes after the shooting. A 12-year-old girl had what appeared to be a small graze wound on her head — but below the surface, the bullet’s velocity created a shockwave, causing the child’s brain to bleed. Doctors had to remove a section of her skull. 

    “From a handgun, that wound would likely have only been a graze wound, but from a high powered rifle, it became a life threatening brain injury,” Kummer said. “Assault rifles turn survivable injuries into fatal ones.”

    The working group also heard proposals that would do the following:

    • Establish an Office of Gun Violence Prevention within the Minnesota Department of Health.

    • Require gun buyers to complete a firearm safety course before purchasing a gun.

    • Create a public awareness campaign for Minnesota’s new “red flag” law, which allows judges to order the confiscation of weapons from a person deemed a danger to their own safety or others’. 

    • Create a Civil Commitment Coordinating Division within the Office of the Attorney General, tasked with streamlining the civil commitment process and collecting data on outcomes for those who are civilly committed. 

    • Require serial numbers on all firearms, including those that are 3-D printed or assembled at home. 

    • Allow local governments to ban firearms from city-owned or leased buildings. 

    • Require all gun owners to store their weapons unloaded and equipped with a locking device; or loaded or unloaded in a locked firearm storage unit or gun room.

    Sen. John Hoffman, DFL-Champlin, did not attend the meeting but submitted a bill to increase penalties on people convicted of impersonating a law enforcement officer. A man impersonating a police officer shot Hoffman and his wife Yvette before murdering Hortman and her husband Mark in the early morning hours of June 14. 

    Sen. Glenn Gruenhagen, R-Glencoe, submitted to the working group an article he co-authored in 2019 with a natural medicine doctor who spread false information about COVID-19 before dying of the virus in 2021. The article attributes the rise in mass shootings to the use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs,  a common type of antidepressant. That claim has been repeated by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, but psychiatrists and other experts have debunked a causal link between SSRIs and violence.

    The working group will meet again Wednesday morning. 

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  • Loved ones of Fletcher Merkel, killed in Annunciation shooting, honor him at funeral

    Family and loved ones of 8-year-old Fletcher Merkel gathered at Mt. Olivet Lutheran Church in Minneapolis on Sunday to celebrate his life.

    Merkel was one of two children killed in the mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church on Aug. 27.

    His family says they want him remembered as a boy with sparkling blue eyes and an infectious smile. 

    “You can grieve and give thanks, express loss and joy,” Pastor David J. Lose with Mt. Olivet Lutheran Chuch said. “We will remember Fletcher for the boy that he was and the joy and love he shared so freely.”

    Speakers remembered who Merkel was, his prayers, his hopes and his dreams. They told stories about his athleticism and all the friends he had made in his 8 years. He loved fishing and football, and dreamed of playing in the NFL one day.

    Fletcher Merkel

    WCCO


    “His gift to all of us was the chance to know him and love him,” Erin Shermak, Merkel’s aunt, said.

    Loved ones say his story will be marked by a legacy only Merkel could leave behind. 

    “How will you keep Fletcher’s legacy alive in your life?” Will Sharpe, who spoke at the gathering, said. “How will it continue through yours? Fletcher, we love and miss you, and may your story live on through all of us.”

    Organizers said over 1,400 people attended the gathering, many in bright-colored clothing to honor a boy who found joy in giving to others.

    Instead of flowers, people are asked to contribute to the fund in his memory through a GoFundMe. 

    Loved ones will gather to remember 10-year-old Harper Moyski on Sept. 14. She also died in the shooting. Moyski’s family said that anyone who loved her is welcome to come together in her memory at the Lake Harriet Bandshell at noon. 

    Ashley Grams

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  • Taste of Greece raising money for Annunciation Catholic Church

    This weekend marks the annual Taste of Greece festival hosted by St. Mary’s Greek Orthodox Church. The celebration boasts Greek food, drinks, dancing and music. It’s a parish that’s spent over 100 years worshiping in Minneapolis who aim to share Greek culture and faith with the surrounding community. 

    Though this year, the church is also fundraising during the festival to support nearby Annunciation Catholic Church. 

    “This year our joy is mixed with deep sorrow. Last week’s horrific violence at Annunciation Church has affected our parish deeply,” their website states. “We stand with Annunciation in shared grief, prayer, and fervent hope.”

    St. Mary’s Orthodox Church is led by Father Timothy Sas, who says Sophia Forchas, one of their parishoners was injured during the shooting at Annunciation. He says several generations of the Forchas’ family are deeply ingrained in the church community. 

    “They’re well loved, they’re well involved in everything we do,” Sas said. “We are certainly distraught in praying for her wellbeing for her recovery, not only for her of course for all the victims.” 

    Dr. Walt Galicich, a neurosurgeon with Hennepin Healthcare, said in a news conference on Friday that while Sophia is critical, her condition was “trending in the right direction.” Sophia Forchas’ father describes his 12-year-old daughter as brilliant, kind and full of life

    21 people were injured during mass at Annuncation on August 27. Two children, Harper Moyski and Fletcher Merkel were killed in the attack. Sas says his parish remains in prayer for all impacted. 

    A portion of festival profits will support the Annunciation community. Around the festival a QR code also shares links to fundraisers for families still recovering. Orgainzers also hosted a blood drive on Friday for attendees. 

    “God remains attentive,” Sas said. “God is listening to our needs. God is present even in the midst of a tragedy.” 

    The festival is open Sunday September 7th from 12:00pm to 5:00 pm. 

    Ashley Grams

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  • Father, surgeon of girl injured in Annunciation shooting to share update on her condition




































    CBS News Live



    CBS News Minnesota

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    The father and surgeon of 12-year-old Sophia Forchas, one of the 18 children injured in the shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis, are set to give an update on her condition on Friday afternoon.

    According to an online fundraiser organized by her family, Forchas was in critical condition after she was shot during a Mass packed with young students on Aug. 27. 

    Sophia Forchas’ father, Tom Forchas, and neurosurgeon Dr. Walt Galicich are scheduled to discuss her condition at 1:15 p.m. at Hennepin Healthcare. The hospital’s interim CEO, Dr. Tom Klemond, will also be at the news conference. You can watch it on CBS News Minnesota via Pluto TV, on Roku TV, the CBS News app or in the video player above.

    Her mother is a pediatric critical care nurse at Hennepin Healthcare. She rushed to work to help the victims in the attack “before knowing it was her children’s school that was attacked, and that her daughter was critically injured,” according to the fundraiser.

    “Sophia was born and raised in our St. Mary’s parish, immersed in the life of the Church together with her extended family of several generations who are devoted members of our congregation,”  Father Timothy Sas of St. Mary’s Greek Orthodox Church in Minneapolis said in a statement on Aug. 28.

    Fletcher Merkel, 8, and Harper Moyski, 10, were killed in the shooting. Along with the 18 children, three adults in their 80s were injured. 

    Learn more about the victims here and click here to find out how to support them.

    Note: The above video first aired on Aug. 28, 2025.

    Nick Lentz

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  • Man and woman charged in south Minneapolis mass shooting at Clinton Avenue intersection

    A man and a woman have been charged with aiding an offender in the south Minneapolis mass shooting on Tuesday that killed one person and injured six others, court records show.

    Tiffany Martindale, 30, and Ryan Quinn, 33, were both charged in Hennepin County court on Friday. 

    The shooting happened shortly before 1:30 p.m. in the area of 29th Avenue South and Clinton Avenue South. Responding officers found one man fatally wounded and six others with gunshot wounds of “varying severity,” charges said.

    Investigators identified the suspect vehicle as a gray Honda Civic with no rear license plate after looking at dashcam footage provided by a witness, according to the criminal complaint. Officers were able to make out the front license plate of the vehicle and learned it was registered to Quinn.

    Police went to the Inver Grove Heights address listed on the registration shortly after the shooting and saw the Honda with the rear license plate reattached. Charges said Quinn was driving, and Martindale was in the front seat.

    Quinn told officers that he and Martindale had picked up a man, known to him as Bino, and driven him around the metro area, according to charges. He said Bino directed him to the area of the shooting, where they then “circled the block.” As they passed the area a second time, Bino told Quinn to stop the car. 

    Bino then got out of the car wearing a mask and holding a rifle, and started shooting into a crowd standing on the sidewalk, charges said. Bino got back into the Honda after shooting multiple rounds, which struck the seven people. Quinn and Martindale then dropped Bino off in north Minneapolis. 

    Investigators say there were numerous calls between Martindale and Bino during the day of the shooting. Charges said Bino also provided Martindale with the address of a McDonald’s on Lake Street, around two blocks from the area of the shooting. 

    If convicted, Quinn and Martindale each face up to three years in prison and a maximum fine of $5,000.

    Nick Lentz

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  • 8/30: CBS Weekend News



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    Mass held at site of Minneapolis church shooting; Amtrak’s new high-speed Acela train a gamechanger for Northeast travelers.

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  • Did a 2022 gun law lead to fewer mass shootings?

    Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., a leading supporter of stricter gun laws, said hours after an Aug. 27 deadly Minneapolis school shooting that legislation enacted during the Biden administration led to a decline in mass shootings.

    “There is something deeply wrong with a country that chooses to make running for their lives part of kids’ back to school ritual,” Murphy wrote on X. “When we finally passed a gun safety bill in 2022, mass shooting began to drop. But it was an unacceptably small start. We must do more.”

    Murphy referred to the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act that then-President Joe Biden signed into law in June 2022 after mass shootings in Buffalo, New York, and a Uvalde, Texas, elementary school. The legislation combined gun safety provisions with mental health and school security resources and marked the first congressional gun control measure in nearly three decades.

    In Minneapolis, Robin Westman fired through the windows of the Church of the Annunciation during a morning Mass to mark the beginning of the school year, killing two children and injuring  18 other people. Westman, 23, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

    Murphy’s spokesperson said the senator referred to the number of mass shootings as measured  by the Gun Violence Archive, an online database that showed a decrease in mass shootings in 2024 compared with 2023. However, assessing whether the 2022 law caused the decrease is difficult to determine. Experts said the law might have played a role, but they are unaware of academic research addressing that question.

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    “This is not to say that it may not have any impact — it’s virtually impossible to demonstrate any direct causality, but it’s important to keep in mind many other potential correlates of that drop, including, for example, an overall drop in crime, return to prevention and intervention strategies and so forth,” said Alex R. Piquero, a University of Miami professor of criminology and former director of the Bureau of Justice Statistics.

    RELATED: The US homicide rate has dropped, but Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy overstates effect of gun law

    No official definition of mass shootings

    There is no widely agreed upon definition for mass shootings. Different groups measure mass shootings in varying ways based on the number of people injured or killed. Some exclude gang violence or domestic violence from their counts and include only indiscriminate violence, when a shooter fires a gun at random in public. This means that mass shooting numbers can vary significantly depending on the metrics — showing anywhere from dozens or fewer incidents to hundreds in a given year.

    The Gun Violence Archive defines mass shootings as events in which at least four people are injured or killed, excluding the shooter. As of Aug. 27, the archive found 642 mass shootings in 2022, 660 mass shootings in 2023, 503 in 2024, and 286 year-to-date in 2025.

    Some other mass shooting trackers also show a decline from 2023 to 2024, although they have more narrow methodologies which result in smaller raw numbers.

    Mass shootings have decreased but law’s impact unclear

    Gun violence experts expressed caution about attributing the decline in mass shootings to 2022 law for several reasons: 

    The 2022 law had many components. It’s difficult to attribute the decrease to the law because the law “had so many different parts,” including money to support state-level “red flag” laws, said Jaclyn Schildkraut, executive director of the Regional Gun Violence Research Consortium at the Rockefeller Institute of Government. Red flag laws allow courts to temporarily remove a person’s firearms if the person poses a danger to other people.

    Proving a connection would involve analyzing changes collectively and over different initiatives over a much longer period of time, Schildkraut said.

    Mass shootings are rare. Because mass shootings are statistically very rare, “It is hard to distinguish change due to something like the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act from random variation over time,” said Veronica Pear, assistant professor at the Centers for Violence Prevention at University of California, Davis.

    Terry Schell, a senior behavioral scientist who studies firearms and violence at Rand Corp., a nonpartisan think tank, said, “It is exceptionally difficult to determine, empirically, if any national law caused a particular shift in a rare outcome. Even if the mass shooting rate dropped to zero in the years following passage, all that would tell us is that SOMETHING happened in 2023 to reduce mass shootings. It could be this law; it could be something totally different.”

    Schell said to make claims about causation requires data that allows researchers to rule out alternative causes. 

    Our ruling

    Murphy said, “When we finally passed a gun safety bill in 2022, mass shooting began to drop.” 

    He pointed to Gun Violence Archive data showing 503 mass shootings in 2024, a decline from 660 in 2023. Midway through 2022, Biden signed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act into law. 

    Gun violence experts said they are unaware of research showing the impact of the law on mass shooting numbers. They cautioned that the law had many components and assessing its impact on mass shootings is difficult. 

    The statement is partially accurate but leaves out important details. We rate it Half True.

    PolitiFact Staff Researcher Caryn Baird contributed to this fact-check.

    RELATED: Congress passes historic bipartisan gun legislation: Bipartisan Safer Communities Act

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  • Mom of Minneapolis school shooting victim was working in ICU when injured daughter arrived

    One of the young victims of Wednesday’s deadly mass shooting at a Minneapolis Catholic school remains in critical condition Thursday, at the same hospital where her mother works as a pediatric critical care nurse.

    Twelve-year-old Sophia Forchas was in her first week as a seventh-grade student at Annunciation Catholic School in southwest Minneapolis when the attack occurred during a Mass marking the first week of school at the adjoining Annunciation Catholic Church, according to a GoFundMe page which has raised more than $117,000 within 24 hours.

    Forchas’ own mother rushed to work on Wednesday morning at Hennepin Healthcare in downtown Minneapolis to help with the influx of victims, “before knowing it was her children’s school that was attacked, and that her daughter was critically injured,” the GoFundMe page states.

    Father Timothy Sas of St. Mary’s Greek Orthodox Church in Minneapolis also released a statement about the Forchas family, who are parishioners.

    “Sophia was born and raised in our St. Mary’s parish, immersed in the life of the Church together with her extended family of several generations who are devoted members of our congregation,” Sas wrote. “Sophia’s family and I are truly thankful for the immediate embrace of prayers coming from literally all parts of the world.”

    Sas said the public is invited to St. Mary’s on Wednesday at 6 p.m. for a special prayer service for Forchas and “all the victims and all the children and staff of Annunciation Catholic School.”

    Nineteen people were shot, 16 of whom are children. Two of the victims, ages 8 and 10, died from their injuries. Three of the victims are parishioners in their 80s. All are expected to survive, according to Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara.

    Sophia Forchas

    GoFundMe


    Forchas’ younger brother was also present during the attack but was not injured.

    “Though he was physically unharmed, the trauma of witnessing such a terrifying event — and knowing his sister was critically injured — is something no child should ever experience,” the GoFundMe page states.

    Forchas underwent emergency surgery and is still recovering in the ICU.

    “Her road ahead will be long, uncertain, and incredibly difficult — but she is strong, and she is not alone,” the GoFundMe page states.

    Stephen Swanson

    Stephen Swanson is a web producer at CBS News Minnesota. Stephen was a floor director for a decade before moving to the WCCO-TV newsroom in 2011, where he focuses on general assignment reporting.

    Stephen Swanson

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  • Minneapolis man comforted Annunciation school shooting victims while waiting for police to arrive

    Pat Scallen ran up to Annunciation Catholic Church as soon as he heard the gunshots Wednesday morning.

    “I didn’t think there were gunshots at first, but after about the 10th shot, I knew they were,” he told CNN. “I knew it was either the church or the school or both. And my, my first visceral reaction was just outright anger. And I think that’s what drove me, that they, somebody was messing with my community.”

    Children and parishioners were gathered in the church around 8:30 a.m. that morning for a Mass marking the beginning of the school year at Annunciation Catholic School. Two children, ages 8 and 10, were killed in the shooting. Fourteen children and three adults in their 80s were also injured, according to Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara.

    It was eerily quiet when Scallen first got there, he said. There was an empty magazine on the sidewalk near the east side of the church. Knowing that something was wrong, Scallen made his way towards the front doors.

    “And as soon as I got there, the kids started coming out of the church,” Scallen recalled. “And kids were coming out and crying in shock, and, and some were very hurt, including the ones that I tried to help and take care of.”

    Emergency personnel had yet to arrive, so Scallen said he zeroed in on three children: a boy and two girls. One girl had been shot in the head, and the other in the neck. The boy “just got a little bit brandished,” he said.

    “I took all three of them. I said, ‘let’s sit down,'” Scallen said. “And I tried to calm them down. And the one little girl who got shot in the head asked me to hold her hand the whole time, and I did.”

    Both of the girls could talk and weren’t bleeding, though they had been seriously hurt, Scallen said.

    “They asked for their parents,” Scallen went on to say. “And they wanted their parents, and I reassured them that their parents, I would get in touch with their parents or someone would right away.”

    “The boy that wasn’t that hurt was so brave. I mean, I kept asking him, he’s OK, and he just, ‘yes sir, I’m fine.’ And I know he was thinking of those other girls and those other two girls under the circumstances were just so brave,” he said.

    Scallen said he is in contact with the parents of the girl who was shot in the head. She had undergone surgery, and is expected to recover. He did not know the status of the boy and the other girl. 

    O’Hara said during a press conference Wednesday afternoon that though the extent of injuries varied greatly, everyone who was sent to the hospital is expected to survive. The shooter ultimately died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

    Scallen himself attended Annunciation Catholic School and sent his three children there. Two of his grandchildren attend a Catholic school in St. Paul.

    “When I went there, this, this just didn’t happen,” he said. “Unfortunately, times have changed.”

    Aki Nace

    Aki Nace has been a web producer for CBS Minnesota since 2019. She covers breaking news and makes short-form documentary films.

    Aki Nace

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  • Minneapolis Catholic school shooting survivor describes how friend saved his life: “I’m praying for you”

    Weston Halsne, 10, was sitting feet away from the stained glass windows at Annunciation Catholic Church when a shooter opened fire Wednesday morning.

    Two children died and 17 others were injured — 14 of whom were also children — in the mass shooting at the south Minneapolis church attached to Annunciation Catholic School, which enrolls children in pre-K through eighth grade. The Catholic Mass marked the beginning of the school year.

    “It was like, shots fired and then we kind of like got under pews. They shot through the stained glass windows I think, and it was really scary,” Halsne said.

    The fifth grader was sitting two seats away from the windows, he told WCCO. He said he felt what he thought was gunpowder on his neck.

    “My friend Victor like, saved me though. Because he laid on top of me. But he got hit,” Halsne said. “I was super scared for him. But I think now he’s OK.”

    “I hope you’re OK and I’m praying for you,” he said in a message to his friend.

    Weston Halsne

    WCCO


    Halsne said that after they all heard gunshots, they waited five to 10 minutes before heading to the gym. 

    “And then the doors locked just to make sure he couldn’t come. And we waited in the gym for more news,” he said.

    He described how he’d done active shooter drills at school, but never at the church. When he got out of the church, he said his mother was waiting for him. 

    “I was super happy, because like, I was scared that I wasn’t going to see her. Because I didn’t know what was happening really, I was just in shock,” he said.

    The shooting triggered a massive law enforcement response to West 54th Street between Harriet and Garfield avenues. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said the shooter approached from the outside of the building and fired a rifle through the windows towards the children and worshippers.

    “Inexplainable and it happens way too much. And when it happens to your own children, then you’re going to think very differently about this,” said Michael Simpson, Halsne’s grandfather. “There’s only one way to think about it. There’s nothing this precious little boy ever did to deserve this.”

    Shooting At Annunciation Church In Minneapolis Leaves Multiple Children Dead And Many Injured

    MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – AUGUST 27: Police work the scene following a mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church on August 27, 2025 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. According to Minneapolis Police, a gunman fired through the windows of the church at worshippers sitting in pews during a Catholic school Mass, killing two children and injuring at least 17 others. The gunman reportedly died at the scene from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

    Stephen Maturen / Getty Images


    Law enforcement sources tell CBS News the shooter was 23-year-old Robin Westman, who lived in nearby Richfield. Westman died later of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at the back of the church. 

    Reaction is also pouring in from local, state and federal leaders after the shooting.

    Archbishop Bernard Hebda, head of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, announced on Wednesday afternoon he received a telegram from Pope Leo XIX which read in part, “At this extremely difficult time, the Holy Father imparts to the Annunciation Catholic School Community, the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis and the people of the greater Twin Cities metropolitan area his Apostolic Blessing as a pledge of peace, fortitude and consolation in the Lord Jesus.” 

    Aki Nace

    Aki Nace has been a web producer for CBS Minnesota since 2019. She covers breaking news and makes short-form documentary films.

    Aki Nace

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  • Minneapolis Catholic school shooting survivor describes how friend saved his life: “I’m praying for you”

    Weston Halsne, 10, was sitting feet away from the stained glass windows at Annunciation Catholic Church when a shooter opened fire Wednesday morning.

    Two children died and 17 others were injured — 14 of whom were also children — in the mass shooting at the south Minneapolis church attached to Annunciation Catholic School, which enrolls children in pre-K through eighth grade. The Catholic Mass marked the beginning of the school year.

    “It was like, shots fired and then we kind of like got under pews. They shot through the stained glass windows, I think, and it was really scary,” Halsne said.

    The fifth grader was sitting two seats away from the windows, he told WCCO. He said he felt what he thought was gunpowder on his neck.

    “My friend Victor like, saved me though. Because he laid on top of me. But he got hit,” Halsne said. “I was super scared for him. But I think now he’s OK.”

    “I hope you’re OK and I’m praying for you,” he said in a message to his friend.

    Weston Halsne

    WCCO


    Halsne said that after they all heard gunshots, they waited five to 10 minutes before heading to the gym. 

    “And then the doors locked just to make sure he couldn’t come. And we waited in the gym for more news,” he said.

    He described how he’d done active shooter drills at school, but never at the church. When he got out of the church, he said his mother was waiting for him. 

    “I was super happy, because like, I was scared that I wasn’t going to see her. Because I didn’t know what was happening really, I was just in shock,” he said.

    The shooting triggered a massive law enforcement response to West 54th Street between Harriet and Garfield avenues. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said the shooter approached from the outside of the building and fired a rifle through the windows towards the children and worshippers.

    “Inexplainable and it happens way too much. And when it happens to your own children, then you’re going to think very differently about this,” said Michael Simpson, Halsne’s grandfather. “There’s only one way to think about it. There’s nothing this precious little boy ever did to deserve this.”

    Shooting At Annunciation Church In Minneapolis Leaves Multiple Children Dead And Many Injured

    MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – AUGUST 27: Police work the scene following a mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church on August 27, 2025 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. According to Minneapolis Police, a gunman fired through the windows of the church at worshippers sitting in pews during a Catholic school Mass, killing two children and injuring at least 17 others. The gunman reportedly died at the scene from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

    Stephen Maturen / Getty Images


    Law enforcement sources tell CBS News the shooter was 23-year-old Robin Westman, who lived in nearby Richfield. Westman died later of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at the back of the church. 

    Reaction is also pouring in from local, state and federal leaders after the shooting.

    Archbishop Bernard Hebda, head of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, announced on Wednesday afternoon he received a telegram from Pope Leo XIX which read in part, “At this extremely difficult time, the Holy Father imparts to the Annunciation Catholic School Community, the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis and the people of the greater Twin Cities metropolitan area his Apostolic Blessing as a pledge of peace, fortitude and consolation in the Lord Jesus.” 

    Aki Nace

    Aki Nace has been a web producer for CBS Minnesota since 2019. She covers breaking news and makes short-form documentary films.

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  • Minneapolis school shooting was HCMC’s 2nd mass casualty event within 24 hours

    A shooting during a school Mass in Minneapolis early Wednesday morning that killed two children and injured 17 others is not the first mass casualty incident within 24 hours for a nearby hospital.

    Hennepin Healthcare, which is a Level 1 Trauma Center, received 10 patients from the shooting, according to Chair of Emergency Medicine Tom Wyatt. Eight of them were children and two were adults. As of Wednesday night, the hospital says one adult and five children are in critical condition, while one adult and three children are being treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

    “We are dealing with gunshot wounds from a high-velocity weapon. Gunshot wounds can be very problematic because they can involve multiple body systems. They require a lot of resources to manage,” Wyatt said.

    This is the second mass casualty incident the hospital has dealt with in the last 24 hours.

    “Whenever a type of page like this goes out again, it really puts into motion a lot of big response from all of the teams,” Wyatt said. “Because we’re a Level 1 Trauma Center, we have to mobilize certain types of resources like operating rooms. We have emergency providers and nurses. We have to mobilize things like the labs and the blood bank. There’s a lot of planning and exercises throughout the year to prepare for these events and, unfortunately, we respond to many of them throughout the year.”

    Seven patients were rushed to Children’s Minnesota, also a Level 1 Trauma Center, after the shooting. The hospital says three kids remain hospitalized as of Wednesday afternoon.

    The grandfather of an 8-year-old girl who was released from care earlier in the day says he raced to her side.

    “It’s very sad. It should not be this way. People should not have guns,” Zuheir Safe said.

    M Health Fairview said one child had been admitted to its Masonic Children’s Hospital and is in stable condition.   

    Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said that everyone injured in the shooting is expected to survive.

    Mental health worker encourages parents to connect with children

    The director of mental health services at Children’s Minnesota has advice for parents everywhere in dealing with the tragedy.

    “Today, one of the most important things is gonna be to be there with a child and provide support,” Dr. Sarah Jerstad said. “Depending on the age of the child, some kids may just want to go outside and play, some kids may want to take a break, but many kids are gonna have questions. Many kids are going to have fears and this is such an opportunity for parents to be there and provide comfort. And also, if kids want to know what the plan is, parents need to talk through that. Parents are that safe space for kids.”

    Jerstad adds that it is OK and important for your kids to see you cry.

    “Parents need to be there as a model for their kids to express their own emotions. Parents have feelings, and they don’t need to be just OK,” Jerstad said. “Kids can see parents are struggling too and it’s great for parents to model, ‘I am feeling sad and scared and I can express my feelings about that too.’ It’s absolutely OK and it’s normal and it’s human.”

    Staff at Children’s Minnesota will also be getting mental health support.

    Jillian Peterson, a criminology professor from Hamline University in St. Paul who has been tracking mass shootings in the U.S. going back to the 1960s, says what we know so far about the shooter matches what she has seen in the past.

    “They usually commit suicide on the scene, and they often target elementary schools specifically. They usually have some sort of connection, but they also know that that is going to make the message go viral,” Peterson said. “Those are such horrific events that they make everyone pay attention to them so there’s this narcissism piece, and sadly, this shooting seems to follow all those sorts of patterns.”

    Peterson says the impacts of shootings like this go well beyond those directly affected, spreading across the community, and that the mental health trauma can last for years.

    Susan-Elizabeth Littlefield

    Susan-Elizabeth Littlefield loves sharing the good news. She hosts a show on Sunday mornings based on local “positivity and empowerment,” leading right into CBS Sunday Morning.

    Susan-Elizabeth Littlefield

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  • 4 killed, 18 injured in mass shooting at popular Birmingham, Alabama neighborhood

    4 killed, 18 injured in mass shooting at popular Birmingham, Alabama neighborhood

    BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Four people were killed and more than a dozen were injured in a shooting in Birmingham, Alabama, on Saturday night.

    Police said officers responded to reports of a major shooting. “Officers are on the scene of multiple people shot with possibly multiple casualties,” the Birmingham Police Department wrote in a post to X.

    The shooting occurred in the Five Points South area of the city, the post added.

    ABC News Birmingham affiliate WBMA reported that at least four people were killed and dozens injured in the shooting. At least four of the injured have life-threatening injuries, WBMA said.

    As of 6 a.m. CST on Sunday, officials say 18 others were also hurt during the shooting. Their injuries range from non-life-threatening to life-threatening.

    WBMA said the shooting occurred around 11 p.m. Saturday night in the busy Five Points South area.

    Three of the four victims died on the scene, WBMA said. The fourth victim died at the hospital.

    Investigators said they made no arrests and believe there were multiple shooters who fired upon a large group of people who were outside in a public area in the 2000 Block of Magnolia Avenue South.

    Police are investigating whether a gun fitted with a so-called “switch” — which allows a semi-automatic weapon to fire at a faster rate — was used in the shooting, WBMA said.

    The Birmingham Police Department has requested FBI and ATF assistance with the investigation, WBMA reported. Authorities are also seeking information from witnesses as they work to determine who were the intended targets of the shooting.

    “There is no greater resource than the public,” Birmingham Police Officer Truman Fitzgerald said. “We will do everything we possibly can to make sure we uncover, identify and hunt down whoever is responsible for preying on our people this morning.”

    This is a developing story. This article will continue to be updated as more information becomes available.

    ABC News’ Jessica Gorman contributed to this report.

    Copyright © 2024 ABC News Internet Ventures.

    ABCNews

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  • 4 killed, 18 injured in mass shooting at popular Birmingham, Alabama neighborhood

    4 killed, 18 injured in mass shooting at popular Birmingham, Alabama neighborhood

    BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Four people were killed and more than a dozen were injured in a shooting in Birmingham, Alabama, on Saturday night.

    Police said officers responded to reports of a major shooting. “Officers are on the scene of multiple people shot with possibly multiple casualties,” the Birmingham Police Department wrote in a post to X.

    The shooting occurred in the Five Points South area of the city, the post added.

    ABC News Birmingham affiliate WBMA reported that at least four people were killed and dozens injured in the shooting. At least four of the injured have life-threatening injuries, WBMA said.

    As of 6 a.m. CST on Sunday, officials say 18 others were also hurt during the shooting. Their injuries range from non-life-threatening to life-threatening.

    WBMA said the shooting occurred around 11 p.m. Saturday night in the busy Five Points South area.

    Three of the four victims died on the scene, WBMA said. The fourth victim died at the hospital.

    Investigators said they made no arrests and believe there were multiple shooters who fired upon a large group of people who were outside in a public area in the 2000 Block of Magnolia Avenue South.

    Police are investigating whether a gun fitted with a so-called “switch” — which allows a semi-automatic weapon to fire at a faster rate — was used in the shooting, WBMA said.

    The Birmingham Police Department has requested FBI and ATF assistance with the investigation, WBMA reported. Authorities are also seeking information from witnesses as they work to determine who were the intended targets of the shooting.

    “There is no greater resource than the public,” Birmingham Police Officer Truman Fitzgerald said. “We will do everything we possibly can to make sure we uncover, identify and hunt down whoever is responsible for preying on our people this morning.”

    This is a developing story. This article will continue to be updated as more information becomes available.

    ABC News’ Jessica Gorman contributed to this report.

    Copyright © 2024 ABC News Internet Ventures.

    ABCNews

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  • 4 dead, dozens injured after multiple shooters fire on ‘people in the open’ in Birmingham, Alabama

    4 dead, dozens injured after multiple shooters fire on ‘people in the open’ in Birmingham, Alabama

    4 dead, dozens injured after multiple shooters fire on ‘people in the open’ in Birmingham, Alabama

    At least four of the gunshot victims have life-threatening injuries

    BREAKING NEWS IS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW, AND IT IS 201 ON A SUNDAY MORNING, SEPTEMBER 22ND. I’M JARVIS ROBERTSON HERE WITH GLADYS BAUTISTA. WE CONTINUE TO FOLLOW THAT BREAKING NEWS A MASS SHOOTING IN SOUTH SIDE OF FIVE POINT SOUTH. AND WHAT WE KNOW SO FAR IS THAT FOUR PEOPLE ARE DEAD. FOUR PEOPLE ARE CRITICALLY INJURED. AND DOZENS OF OTHERS ALSO INJURED. WHEN POLICE SAY MULTIPLE SHOOTERS OPENED FIRE ON A CROWD STANDING OUTSIDE IT ALL HAPPENED ON MAGNOLIA AVENUE. NOW, POLICE SAY THAT THERE ARE SEVERAL VICTIMS IN THIS SITUATION. AS WE KNOW, DOZENS ARE INJURED. SOME HAVE LIFE THREATENING INJURIES, SOME HAVE VARIOUS INJURIES. WE DO WANT TO GET OUT TO WVTM. 13 S ZOE BLAIR. SHE IS ON THE GROUND FOR US RIGHT NOW FOLLOWING THE LATEST GLADYS. I’M SORRY ZOE. TELL US WHAT YOU ARE SEEING AROUND YOU NOW. THANK YOU FOR. YEAH. JARVIS GLADYS. YOU CAN SEE HERE BEHIND ME. BIRMINGHAM. POLICE ARE STILL INVESTIGATING THIS MASS SHOOTING. IT HAPPENED JUST AFTER 11:00 LAST NIGHT. I’M TOLD THAT IT HAPPENED BACK THAT WAY. ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE FOUNTAIN. SOMEBODY OPENED FIRE ON THE SIDEWALK. WE BIRMINGHAM. POLICE TOLD US THAT DOZENS OF PEOPLE GOT GUNSHOT INJURIES FROM THIS. EIGHT PEOPLE WERE TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL. FOUR PEOPLE ARE DEAD. THERE ARE STILL TONS OF PEOPLE OUT HERE LOOKING FOR THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS AND TRYING. SOME OF THEM ARE JUST TRYING TO GET BACK TO THEIR CARS TO GET HOME. MANY OF THEM ARE STILL LOOKING FOR ANSWERS ON WHAT HAPPENED. BIRMINGHAM POLICE SAY THAT THEY DO NOT HAVE ANYONE IN CUSTODY RIGHT NOW, BUT THEY’RE STILL WORKING TO FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENED. BACK TO YOU GUYS. ALL RIGHT, ZOE, THANK YOU SO MUCH. AND FROM WHAT YOU CAN SEE FROM THAT SCENE, IT LOOKS LIKE THERE IS POLICE TAPE ALL OVER THE PLACE. POLICE HAVE SAID THAT DOZENS OF THE VICTIMS ARE AT VARIOUS HOSPITALS. SO RIGHT NOW, IT JUST SEEMS LIKE THIS IS A REALLY FLUID SITUATION, A VERY FLUID SITUATION. AND KEEP IN MIND, THIS HAPPENED ON A SATURDAY NIGHT WHEN THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE OUT IN FIVE POINTS SOUTH. AS YOU CAN SEE FROM THAT CRIME SCENE TAPE THAT WE JUST SAW AROUND ZOE, POLICE ARE GOING TO BE THERE FOR SOME TIME. AGAIN, THEY SAY THAT A GROUP OF PEOPLE STARTED FIRING AT PEOPLE WHO WERE STANDING OUT IN THE OPEN, AND SOMETHING INTERESTING THAT POLICE SAID. THEY SAID THAT THEY COULD NOT SAY HOW MANY SHOTS WERE FIRED, BUT THEY DO BELIEVE THAT GLOCK SWITCHES WERE USED. AND WE KNOW THAT THAT HAS BEEN A MAJOR ISSUE FOR THE BIRMINGHAM POLICE DEPARTMENT, FOR FEDERAL PARTNERS AS WELL, DEALING WITH THE REGULATION OF THESE GLOCK SWITCHES. WE ALSO HEARD FROM POLICE CHIEFS LAST WEEK EVEN SAYING THAT THEY’RE WORKING RIGHT NOW AT THE STATE LEVEL TO MAKE THOSE GLOCK SWITCHES THEY BELIEVE WERE USED IN TONIGHT’S SHOOTING ILLEGAL AT THE STATE LEVEL, BECAUSE RIGHT NOW THEY’RE ONLY ILLEGAL AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL. AND FOR SOME TIME THAT BIRMINGHAM CITY LEADERS, THEY HAVE BEEN WORKING TO GET THESE GLOCK SWITCHES OFF THE STREET. BIRMINGHAM BIRMINGHAM MAYOR RANDALL WOODFIN, HE HAS BEEN VERY VOCAL EVEN NOT TOO LONG AGO WITHIN THE LAST COUPLE OF MONTHS, POSTING ON SOCIAL MEDIA SAYING THAT WE ARE COMING AFTER THE PEOPLE WHO USE GLOCK. GLOCK SWITCHES. NOW KEEP IN MIND, ONCE HE MADE THAT POST, THERE WERE SOME PEOPLE WHO DECIDED TO THINK IT WAS A JOKE. THEY POSTED GLOCK SWITCHES, POSTED THEM SHOOTING GLOCK SWITCHES AND GUESS WHAT? HE POSTED THAT POLICE, FEDERAL PARTNERS THEY WENT AFTER THOSE PEOPLE. WE DID HAVE A CHANCE TO HEAR FROM SOME PEOPLE WHO WERE ON THE GROUND OUT THERE THAT NIGHT THAT WALKED UP SHORTLY AFTER THE INCIDENT HAPPENED. TAKE A LISTEN. VERY SCARY, VERY LIKE WHEN I ASKED, I WALKED UP WHEN IT WAS LIKE JUST ENDED BECAUSE EVERYBODY WAS SCREAMING. IT WAS PEOPLE CRYING. POLICE OFFICERS. THEY WAS TRYING TO GET INFORMATION FROM DIFFERENT PEOPLE. SO THEY JUST WAS TRYING TO DO THEIR JOB. AND I GUESS GET THE AID AND INFORMATION THAT THEY NEED. YOU SAID YOU SAW SOME PEOPLE CARRIED OUT ON STRETCHERS. YES, MA’AM. IT WAS LITERALLY PROBABLY ABOUT 6 TO 7 PEOPLE, MALES AND FEMALES. THAT WAS COMING OUT ON STRETCHERS. AND IT WAS AMBULANCE COMING BACK TO BACK. SO IT WAS DEFINITELY A BAD CRIME SCENE FOR THE FIVE POINTS AREA. YOU DON’T SEE STUFF LIKE THIS JUST YOU GOING OUT TO HAVE A GOOD TIME AND YOU WALK UP ON SOMETHING LIKE THIS. SO IT’S JUST IT’S VERY RARE THAT YOU SEE SOMETHING LIKE THIS VERY CLOSE TO HOME, YOU KNOW, SO JUST KIND OF SAD FOR, YOU KNOW, THE PUBLIC AND THE FAMILY MEMBERS AND FRIENDS OF THE PEOPLE THAT GOT WOUNDED. YEAH. AND SO DOES THIS MAKE YOU RETHINK YOU WANTING TO GO OUT DOWN HERE OR ANYTHING? YES, MA’AM. DEFINITELY. IT’S A GUY WALKED BY AND HE SAID, THIS IS THE MAIN REASON WHY I STAY AT HOME. YOU KNOW, AND I KNOW THINGS CAN HAPPEN NO MATTER WHERE YOU GO, BUT YOU JUST HAVE TO, YOU KNOW, BE MINDFUL OF YOUR SURROUNDINGS AND, YOU KNOW, USE YOUR BEST JUDGMENT. AND LIKE I SAID, I WAS GOING TO COME OUT EARLIER, BUT I DIDN’T. I KIND OF LAGGED AROUND AND IT WAS A REASON. SO EVERYTHING HAPPENED FOR A REASON. YOU JUST HAVE TO KNOW WHEN IT’S IT’S TIME TO GO OR IT’S TIME TO GO TO ANOTHER LOCATION BECAUSE THIS AREA HERE LATELY, THE PAST COUPLE OF WEEKENDS, IT’S BEEN GETTING BAD. IT’S BEEN GETTING BAD. WOW. CAN’T EVEN IMAGINE WHAT THAT MUST HAVE BEEN LIKE. SO HAPPY THAT THAT GENTLEMAN THAT SHE SPOKE TO IS OKAY. BUT WE KNOW THAT THAT’S NOT THE SITUATION FOR SO MANY OTHER PEOPLE. AND HE TALKED ABOUT PEOPLE GETTING CARRIED OUT ON STRETCHERS ON MY WAY IN HERE. I PASSED THROUGH THAT AREA. POLICE SAY THAT THE AREA THAT I CAME DOWN, WHICH WAS UNIVERSITY BOULEVARD, HE SAID THAT THIS AREA RIGHT NOW, WE HAD TO ESTABLISH A PERIMETER SO THAT THE MEDICAL VEHICLES, THE AMBULANCES COULD GET OUT AND HAVE A PATHWAY OUT OF THAT. THAT IS, YOU KNOW, JUST TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA OF HOW POPULATED THIS AREA WAS WHEN ALL OF THIS HAPPENED. YEAH, WE KNOW THAT AGAIN, A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE OUT ON THE WEEKENDS AND FIVE POINTS OUT IN BIRMINGHAM. YES. AGAIN, WE DO WANT TO REITERATE THAT THIS HAPPENED JUST AFTER 11:00 LAST NIGHT. BIRMINGHAM POLICE SAY THAT SEVERAL SHOOTERS OPENED FIRE ON A CROWD OF PEOPLE. WE KNOW THAT UNFORTUNATELY, FOUR PEOPLE ARE DEAD, FOUR PEOPLE HAVE LIFE THREATENING INJURIES, BUT DOZENS OF PEOPLE HAVE VARIOUS INJURIES. MULTIPLE PEOPLE HAVE BEEN TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL RIGHT NOW, MULTIPLE FIRST RESPONDERS STILL BEING DISPATCHED TO THAT SCENE, TRYING TO JUST GET EVERYTHING UNDER CONTROL. NOW, THE MOTIVE FOR THE SHOOTING IS STILL UNCLEAR AT THIS MOMENT, AND THAT IS THE ONE THING THAT PEOPLE WILL BE LOOKING FOR, RIGHT? AND THEN WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT THIS ENTIRE AREA THAT POLICE NOW HAVE TO SIFT THROUGH TO TRY TO FIND THEIR EVIDENCE WHEN THEY’RE TALKING ABOUT GLOCK SWITCHES, YOU’RE TALKING, YOU KNOW, WE DON’T EVEN KNOW THE NUMBER OF SHOTS THAT WERE FIRED, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT A SWITCH ON A GUN LIKE THAT FROM MULTIPLE SHOOTERS. SO POLICE HAVE A LOT. THEY’RE GOING TO HAVE A LOT TO DEAL WITH. AND WHAT’S INTERESTING, YEAH, WHAT’S INTERESTING ABOUT IT WITH THOSE GLOCK SWITCHES, ONCE THEY INSTALL THEM ON A TYPICAL HANDGUN. RIGHT. I MEAN, IT CAN FIRE RAPID SUCCESSION FOR HUNDREDS OF BULLETS. SO I MEAN, BIRMINGHAM OFFICIALS, AFTER TONIGHT, THEY’RE DEFINITELY GOING TO BE PUSHING EVEN HARDER TO GET THESE OFF THE STREETS. RIGHT. AND WE HEARD FROM POLICE, THEY SAID THAT RIGHT NOW THEY WANT TO FIND THOSE SHOOTERS AND THEY’RE GOING TO HUNT THEM DOWN AND MAKE SURE THEY ARE BROUGHT TO JUSTICE. AND REALLY QUICKLY. I DO WANT TO REITERATE WHAT THE GENTLEMAN SAID, THAT IT’S SAD. I MEAN, JUST LOOKING ACROSS FACEBOOK RIGHT NOW, THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE POSTING THIS IS SAD. BIRMINGHAM WE HAVE TO DO BETTER. SO THIS IS A COMMUNITY THAT IS HURTING BY GUN VIOLENCE. DEFINITELY. UNFORTUNATELY, AND RIGHT NOW WE DON’T KNOW HOW IT’S GOING TO END. AND WE DON’T EVEN KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE BEEN AFFECTED. WE WILL CONTINUE TO FOLLOW THIS DEVELOPING STORY FOR YOU. WE HAVE CREWS ON THE GROUND THERE AT THAT SCENE. WE’RE GOING TO BE UPDATING THIS THROUGHOUT THE NIGHT.

    4 dead, dozens injured after multiple shooters fire on ‘people in the open’ in Birmingham, Alabama

    At least four of the gunshot victims have life-threatening injuries

    Four people are dead and there are dozens of gunshot victims after multiple shooters fired on “people in the open” Saturday night, according to Alabama police. It happened just after 11 p.m. Saturday night in Birmingham’s Five Points South neighborhood.No one is in custody at this time, according to police. Two men and a woman were found unresponsive with gunshot wounds when police arrived, and then more gunshot victims were found. Those three victims died on the scene and another died at the hospital. At least four of the gunshot victims have life-threatening injuries. The rest have “various injuries,” police said. Video below: Watch the full news conference from policeThe University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital is treating 11 of the victims, a spokesperson told sister station WVTM in a statement. Birmingham Police Officer Truman Fitzgerald said the victims were out in the open on the sidewalk and street when the shooting began. Investigators are trying to figure out if the shooters walked up to the victims or drove by in a vehicle. Police believe Glock switches were used. Those switches are machinegun conversion devices and have been the focus of a recent federal crackdown in Birmingham. Birmingham Five Points South is an entertainment district with restaurants and nightlife.Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777. Birmingham police have asked that businesses in the area provide any surveillance footage they might have, and requested that the public reach out to them with any relevant information.This is a developing story and will be updated as information becomes available.

    Four people are dead and there are dozens of gunshot victims after multiple shooters fired on “people in the open” Saturday night, according to Alabama police.

    It happened just after 11 p.m. Saturday night in Birmingham’s Five Points South neighborhood.

    No one is in custody at this time, according to police.

    Two men and a woman were found unresponsive with gunshot wounds when police arrived, and then more gunshot victims were found. Those three victims died on the scene and another died at the hospital.

    At least four of the gunshot victims have life-threatening injuries. The rest have “various injuries,” police said.

    Video below: Watch the full news conference from police

    The University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital is treating 11 of the victims, a spokesperson told sister station WVTM in a statement.

    Birmingham Police Officer Truman Fitzgerald said the victims were out in the open on the sidewalk and street when the shooting began. Investigators are trying to figure out if the shooters walked up to the victims or drove by in a vehicle.

    Police believe Glock switches were used. Those switches are machinegun conversion devices and have been the focus of a recent federal crackdown in Birmingham.

    Birmingham Five Points South is an entertainment district with restaurants and nightlife.

    Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777. Birmingham police have asked that businesses in the area provide any surveillance footage they might have, and requested that the public reach out to them with any relevant information.

    This is a developing story and will be updated as information becomes available.

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  • 4 dead, dozens injured after multiple shooters fire on ‘people in the open’ in Birmingham, Alabama

    4 dead, dozens injured after multiple shooters fire on ‘people in the open’ in Birmingham, Alabama

    4 dead, dozens injured after multiple shooters fire on ‘people in the open’ in Birmingham, Alabama

    At least four of the gunshot victims have life-threatening injuries

    BREAKING NEWS IS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW, AND IT IS 201 ON A SUNDAY MORNING, SEPTEMBER 22ND. I’M JARVIS ROBERTSON HERE WITH GLADYS BAUTISTA. WE CONTINUE TO FOLLOW THAT BREAKING NEWS A MASS SHOOTING IN SOUTH SIDE OF FIVE POINT SOUTH. AND WHAT WE KNOW SO FAR IS THAT FOUR PEOPLE ARE DEAD. FOUR PEOPLE ARE CRITICALLY INJURED. AND DOZENS OF OTHERS ALSO INJURED. WHEN POLICE SAY MULTIPLE SHOOTERS OPENED FIRE ON A CROWD STANDING OUTSIDE IT ALL HAPPENED ON MAGNOLIA AVENUE. NOW, POLICE SAY THAT THERE ARE SEVERAL VICTIMS IN THIS SITUATION. AS WE KNOW, DOZENS ARE INJURED. SOME HAVE LIFE THREATENING INJURIES, SOME HAVE VARIOUS INJURIES. WE DO WANT TO GET OUT TO WVTM. 13 S ZOE BLAIR. SHE IS ON THE GROUND FOR US RIGHT NOW FOLLOWING THE LATEST GLADYS. I’M SORRY ZOE. TELL US WHAT YOU ARE SEEING AROUND YOU NOW. THANK YOU FOR. YEAH. JARVIS GLADYS. YOU CAN SEE HERE BEHIND ME. BIRMINGHAM. POLICE ARE STILL INVESTIGATING THIS MASS SHOOTING. IT HAPPENED JUST AFTER 11:00 LAST NIGHT. I’M TOLD THAT IT HAPPENED BACK THAT WAY. ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE FOUNTAIN. SOMEBODY OPENED FIRE ON THE SIDEWALK. WE BIRMINGHAM. POLICE TOLD US THAT DOZENS OF PEOPLE GOT GUNSHOT INJURIES FROM THIS. EIGHT PEOPLE WERE TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL. FOUR PEOPLE ARE DEAD. THERE ARE STILL TONS OF PEOPLE OUT HERE LOOKING FOR THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS AND TRYING. SOME OF THEM ARE JUST TRYING TO GET BACK TO THEIR CARS TO GET HOME. MANY OF THEM ARE STILL LOOKING FOR ANSWERS ON WHAT HAPPENED. BIRMINGHAM POLICE SAY THAT THEY DO NOT HAVE ANYONE IN CUSTODY RIGHT NOW, BUT THEY’RE STILL WORKING TO FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENED. BACK TO YOU GUYS. ALL RIGHT, ZOE, THANK YOU SO MUCH. AND FROM WHAT YOU CAN SEE FROM THAT SCENE, IT LOOKS LIKE THERE IS POLICE TAPE ALL OVER THE PLACE. POLICE HAVE SAID THAT DOZENS OF THE VICTIMS ARE AT VARIOUS HOSPITALS. SO RIGHT NOW, IT JUST SEEMS LIKE THIS IS A REALLY FLUID SITUATION, A VERY FLUID SITUATION. AND KEEP IN MIND, THIS HAPPENED ON A SATURDAY NIGHT WHEN THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE OUT IN FIVE POINTS SOUTH. AS YOU CAN SEE FROM THAT CRIME SCENE TAPE THAT WE JUST SAW AROUND ZOE, POLICE ARE GOING TO BE THERE FOR SOME TIME. AGAIN, THEY SAY THAT A GROUP OF PEOPLE STARTED FIRING AT PEOPLE WHO WERE STANDING OUT IN THE OPEN, AND SOMETHING INTERESTING THAT POLICE SAID. THEY SAID THAT THEY COULD NOT SAY HOW MANY SHOTS WERE FIRED, BUT THEY DO BELIEVE THAT GLOCK SWITCHES WERE USED. AND WE KNOW THAT THAT HAS BEEN A MAJOR ISSUE FOR THE BIRMINGHAM POLICE DEPARTMENT, FOR FEDERAL PARTNERS AS WELL, DEALING WITH THE REGULATION OF THESE GLOCK SWITCHES. WE ALSO HEARD FROM POLICE CHIEFS LAST WEEK EVEN SAYING THAT THEY’RE WORKING RIGHT NOW AT THE STATE LEVEL TO MAKE THOSE GLOCK SWITCHES THEY BELIEVE WERE USED IN TONIGHT’S SHOOTING ILLEGAL AT THE STATE LEVEL, BECAUSE RIGHT NOW THEY’RE ONLY ILLEGAL AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL. AND FOR SOME TIME THAT BIRMINGHAM CITY LEADERS, THEY HAVE BEEN WORKING TO GET THESE GLOCK SWITCHES OFF THE STREET. BIRMINGHAM BIRMINGHAM MAYOR RANDALL WOODFIN, HE HAS BEEN VERY VOCAL EVEN NOT TOO LONG AGO WITHIN THE LAST COUPLE OF MONTHS, POSTING ON SOCIAL MEDIA SAYING THAT WE ARE COMING AFTER THE PEOPLE WHO USE GLOCK. GLOCK SWITCHES. NOW KEEP IN MIND, ONCE HE MADE THAT POST, THERE WERE SOME PEOPLE WHO DECIDED TO THINK IT WAS A JOKE. THEY POSTED GLOCK SWITCHES, POSTED THEM SHOOTING GLOCK SWITCHES AND GUESS WHAT? HE POSTED THAT POLICE, FEDERAL PARTNERS THEY WENT AFTER THOSE PEOPLE. WE DID HAVE A CHANCE TO HEAR FROM SOME PEOPLE WHO WERE ON THE GROUND OUT THERE THAT NIGHT THAT WALKED UP SHORTLY AFTER THE INCIDENT HAPPENED. TAKE A LISTEN. VERY SCARY, VERY LIKE WHEN I ASKED, I WALKED UP WHEN IT WAS LIKE JUST ENDED BECAUSE EVERYBODY WAS SCREAMING. IT WAS PEOPLE CRYING. POLICE OFFICERS. THEY WAS TRYING TO GET INFORMATION FROM DIFFERENT PEOPLE. SO THEY JUST WAS TRYING TO DO THEIR JOB. AND I GUESS GET THE AID AND INFORMATION THAT THEY NEED. YOU SAID YOU SAW SOME PEOPLE CARRIED OUT ON STRETCHERS. YES, MA’AM. IT WAS LITERALLY PROBABLY ABOUT 6 TO 7 PEOPLE, MALES AND FEMALES. THAT WAS COMING OUT ON STRETCHERS. AND IT WAS AMBULANCE COMING BACK TO BACK. SO IT WAS DEFINITELY A BAD CRIME SCENE FOR THE FIVE POINTS AREA. YOU DON’T SEE STUFF LIKE THIS JUST YOU GOING OUT TO HAVE A GOOD TIME AND YOU WALK UP ON SOMETHING LIKE THIS. SO IT’S JUST IT’S VERY RARE THAT YOU SEE SOMETHING LIKE THIS VERY CLOSE TO HOME, YOU KNOW, SO JUST KIND OF SAD FOR, YOU KNOW, THE PUBLIC AND THE FAMILY MEMBERS AND FRIENDS OF THE PEOPLE THAT GOT WOUNDED. YEAH. AND SO DOES THIS MAKE YOU RETHINK YOU WANTING TO GO OUT DOWN HERE OR ANYTHING? YES, MA’AM. DEFINITELY. IT’S A GUY WALKED BY AND HE SAID, THIS IS THE MAIN REASON WHY I STAY AT HOME. YOU KNOW, AND I KNOW THINGS CAN HAPPEN NO MATTER WHERE YOU GO, BUT YOU JUST HAVE TO, YOU KNOW, BE MINDFUL OF YOUR SURROUNDINGS AND, YOU KNOW, USE YOUR BEST JUDGMENT. AND LIKE I SAID, I WAS GOING TO COME OUT EARLIER, BUT I DIDN’T. I KIND OF LAGGED AROUND AND IT WAS A REASON. SO EVERYTHING HAPPENED FOR A REASON. YOU JUST HAVE TO KNOW WHEN IT’S IT’S TIME TO GO OR IT’S TIME TO GO TO ANOTHER LOCATION BECAUSE THIS AREA HERE LATELY, THE PAST COUPLE OF WEEKENDS, IT’S BEEN GETTING BAD. IT’S BEEN GETTING BAD. WOW. CAN’T EVEN IMAGINE WHAT THAT MUST HAVE BEEN LIKE. SO HAPPY THAT THAT GENTLEMAN THAT SHE SPOKE TO IS OKAY. BUT WE KNOW THAT THAT’S NOT THE SITUATION FOR SO MANY OTHER PEOPLE. AND HE TALKED ABOUT PEOPLE GETTING CARRIED OUT ON STRETCHERS ON MY WAY IN HERE. I PASSED THROUGH THAT AREA. POLICE SAY THAT THE AREA THAT I CAME DOWN, WHICH WAS UNIVERSITY BOULEVARD, HE SAID THAT THIS AREA RIGHT NOW, WE HAD TO ESTABLISH A PERIMETER SO THAT THE MEDICAL VEHICLES, THE AMBULANCES COULD GET OUT AND HAVE A PATHWAY OUT OF THAT. THAT IS, YOU KNOW, JUST TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA OF HOW POPULATED THIS AREA WAS WHEN ALL OF THIS HAPPENED. YEAH, WE KNOW THAT AGAIN, A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE OUT ON THE WEEKENDS AND FIVE POINTS OUT IN BIRMINGHAM. YES. AGAIN, WE DO WANT TO REITERATE THAT THIS HAPPENED JUST AFTER 11:00 LAST NIGHT. BIRMINGHAM POLICE SAY THAT SEVERAL SHOOTERS OPENED FIRE ON A CROWD OF PEOPLE. WE KNOW THAT UNFORTUNATELY, FOUR PEOPLE ARE DEAD, FOUR PEOPLE HAVE LIFE THREATENING INJURIES, BUT DOZENS OF PEOPLE HAVE VARIOUS INJURIES. MULTIPLE PEOPLE HAVE BEEN TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL RIGHT NOW, MULTIPLE FIRST RESPONDERS STILL BEING DISPATCHED TO THAT SCENE, TRYING TO JUST GET EVERYTHING UNDER CONTROL. NOW, THE MOTIVE FOR THE SHOOTING IS STILL UNCLEAR AT THIS MOMENT, AND THAT IS THE ONE THING THAT PEOPLE WILL BE LOOKING FOR, RIGHT? AND THEN WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT THIS ENTIRE AREA THAT POLICE NOW HAVE TO SIFT THROUGH TO TRY TO FIND THEIR EVIDENCE WHEN THEY’RE TALKING ABOUT GLOCK SWITCHES, YOU’RE TALKING, YOU KNOW, WE DON’T EVEN KNOW THE NUMBER OF SHOTS THAT WERE FIRED, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT A SWITCH ON A GUN LIKE THAT FROM MULTIPLE SHOOTERS. SO POLICE HAVE A LOT. THEY’RE GOING TO HAVE A LOT TO DEAL WITH. AND WHAT’S INTERESTING, YEAH, WHAT’S INTERESTING ABOUT IT WITH THOSE GLOCK SWITCHES, ONCE THEY INSTALL THEM ON A TYPICAL HANDGUN. RIGHT. I MEAN, IT CAN FIRE RAPID SUCCESSION FOR HUNDREDS OF BULLETS. SO I MEAN, BIRMINGHAM OFFICIALS, AFTER TONIGHT, THEY’RE DEFINITELY GOING TO BE PUSHING EVEN HARDER TO GET THESE OFF THE STREETS. RIGHT. AND WE HEARD FROM POLICE, THEY SAID THAT RIGHT NOW THEY WANT TO FIND THOSE SHOOTERS AND THEY’RE GOING TO HUNT THEM DOWN AND MAKE SURE THEY ARE BROUGHT TO JUSTICE. AND REALLY QUICKLY. I DO WANT TO REITERATE WHAT THE GENTLEMAN SAID, THAT IT’S SAD. I MEAN, JUST LOOKING ACROSS FACEBOOK RIGHT NOW, THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE POSTING THIS IS SAD. BIRMINGHAM WE HAVE TO DO BETTER. SO THIS IS A COMMUNITY THAT IS HURTING BY GUN VIOLENCE. DEFINITELY. UNFORTUNATELY, AND RIGHT NOW WE DON’T KNOW HOW IT’S GOING TO END. AND WE DON’T EVEN KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE BEEN AFFECTED. WE WILL CONTINUE TO FOLLOW THIS DEVELOPING STORY FOR YOU. WE HAVE CREWS ON THE GROUND THERE AT THAT SCENE. WE’RE GOING TO BE UPDATING THIS THROUGHOUT THE NIGHT.

    4 dead, dozens injured after multiple shooters fire on ‘people in the open’ in Birmingham, Alabama

    At least four of the gunshot victims have life-threatening injuries

    Four people are dead and there are dozens of gunshot victims after multiple shooters fired on “people in the open” Saturday night, according to Alabama police. It happened just after 11 p.m. Saturday night in Birmingham’s Five Points South neighborhood.No one is in custody at this time, according to police. Two men and a woman were found unresponsive with gunshot wounds when police arrived, and then more gunshot victims were found. Those three victims died on the scene and another died at the hospital. At least four of the gunshot victims have life-threatening injuries. The rest have “various injuries,” police said. Video below: Watch the full news conference from policeThe University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital is treating 11 of the victims, a spokesperson told sister station WVTM in a statement. Birmingham Police Officer Truman Fitzgerald said the victims were out in the open on the sidewalk and street when the shooting began. Investigators are trying to figure out if the shooters walked up to the victims or drove by in a vehicle. Police believe Glock switches were used. Those switches are machinegun conversion devices and have been the focus of a recent federal crackdown in Birmingham. Birmingham Five Points South is an entertainment district with restaurants and nightlife.Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777. Birmingham police have asked that businesses in the area provide any surveillance footage they might have, and requested that the public reach out to them with any relevant information.This is a developing story and will be updated as information becomes available.

    Four people are dead and there are dozens of gunshot victims after multiple shooters fired on “people in the open” Saturday night, according to Alabama police.

    It happened just after 11 p.m. Saturday night in Birmingham’s Five Points South neighborhood.

    No one is in custody at this time, according to police.

    Two men and a woman were found unresponsive with gunshot wounds when police arrived, and then more gunshot victims were found. Those three victims died on the scene and another died at the hospital.

    At least four of the gunshot victims have life-threatening injuries. The rest have “various injuries,” police said.

    Video below: Watch the full news conference from police

    The University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital is treating 11 of the victims, a spokesperson told sister station WVTM in a statement.

    Birmingham Police Officer Truman Fitzgerald said the victims were out in the open on the sidewalk and street when the shooting began. Investigators are trying to figure out if the shooters walked up to the victims or drove by in a vehicle.

    Police believe Glock switches were used. Those switches are machinegun conversion devices and have been the focus of a recent federal crackdown in Birmingham.

    Birmingham Five Points South is an entertainment district with restaurants and nightlife.

    Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777. Birmingham police have asked that businesses in the area provide any surveillance footage they might have, and requested that the public reach out to them with any relevant information.

    This is a developing story and will be updated as information becomes available.

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  • Father of Georgia high school shooting suspect arrested

    Father of Georgia high school shooting suspect arrested

    The father of Colt Gray, the teen suspect in the Apalachee High School shooting, has been arrested, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation announced Thursday.

    Colin Gray, 54, is being charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second-degree murder and eight counts of cruelty to children, GBI said. The 14-year-old shooting suspect has been charged with four counts of felony murder. 

    GBI Director Chris Hosey said at a news conference Thursday night that the charges against Colin Gray stem from “knowingly allowing his son to possess a weapon.” He was in custody and being held at the Barrow County Detention Center, officials said Thursday.

    Georgia does not allow minors to own guns. State and federal law also would prohibit the teenage suspect from buying a handgun, rifle or shotgun.   

    coling-gray.png
    Colin Gray

    Barrow County Sheriff’s Office


    His son, a student at Apalachee High School, allegedly killed four people, two students and two teachers, when he opened fire at the school in Winder, Georgia, on Wednesday morning. Nine others were wounded and hospitalized, but they were all expected to survive and “make a full recovery,” Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith said Thursday. Hospital officials said Thursday that at least seven of those nine patients had been treated and released, and at least one other remained hospitalized in stable condition. 

    Police and federal agents were investigating if the weapon used in the shooting, described by officials as an AR-style weapon, was purchased by the teen’s father as a gift for his son in December 2023, according to four federal law enforcement sources close to the investigation.

    In May of last year, the suspect and his father were both interviewed by the Jackson County Sheriff’s office after the FBI received tips about online posts threatening a school shooting, the FBI said in a statement Wednesday night. At the time, investigators didn’t have enough evidence for an arrest or enough probable cause “to take any additional law enforcement action,” the FBI said.

    According to reports from the Jackson County Sheriff’s office released Thursday, the then-13-year-old claimed he deleted the Discord account the threats were made from because it kept getting hacked.

    In the incident report, a deputy reported that the teen “assured me he never made any threats to shoot up any school.”  

    Local police records obtained by CBS News indicate the alleged shooter’s parents were going through a divorce at the time. His mother took custody of two other children in the divorce while the suspect stayed with his father, the records show. 

    The alleged shooter is being “handled” as an adult, officials said Wednesday, and his first court appearance was scheduled for Friday morning.

    Jordan Freiman

    Jordan Freiman is a news editor for CBSNews.com. He covers breaking news, trending stories, sports and crime. Jordan has previously worked at Spin and Death and Taxes.

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  • 1 killed, 7 injured in Baltimore mass shooting, police say – WTOP News

    1 killed, 7 injured in Baltimore mass shooting, police say – WTOP News

    Multiple people opened fire at a gathering near the scene of the shooting, killing a 36-year-old man. The ages of victims ranged from 22 to 45, and all were taken to local hospitals.

    Baltimore Police have identified at least 8 people shot during a mass shooting on Sunday, August 18, 2024. (Courtesy Baltimore Police Department)

    A man is dead and seven other people were wounded following Sunday night gunfire in East Baltimore, Maryland, police said.

    The shooting happened in the 1300 block of North Spring Street, near Caroline and Hoffman Park, just after 8 p.m.

    Baltimore Police Department Commissioner Richard Worley said multiple people opened fire at a gathering near the scene of the shooting, killing a 36-year-old man.

    “Once on scene, officers located multiple male victims and one female victim suffering from gunshot wounds. At this time, we have eight confirmed victims,” he said.

    Officials said victims’ ages ranged from 22 to 45 and all were taken to hospitals in various conditions, including critical. Suspects were not identified, but Worley said multiple firearms were recovered in the ongoing investigation.

    “We got the victims to the fire department, got the victims to the hospital. Probably saved a few lives by getting in there so quickly,” he told reporters at a Sunday night news conference. “But we’ve got a lot of evidence, and we’re looking for a lot of video.”

    Faith Leach, the city’s chief administrative officer, said Mayor Brandon Scott’s office would begin work on a community neighborhood stabilization initiative in the days ahead.

    “It is not lost on me the impact of an incident like this on our communities in the days, weeks and even the months ahead,” she said. “We will be tasked with working with this community to heal from the trauma of this evening’s event.”

    Leach also said the mayor’s office would be reaching to members of the community who experienced the mass shooting.

    “We will be here in the immediate aftermath of this incident, but we will also be here for the long term to address your challenges, your needs, and to also help the community heal,” Leach said.

    Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call the Baltimore Police Department at 443-902-4824.

    Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.

    © 2024 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

    Ivy Lyons

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  • Police: 1 person dead, 7 injured after Baltimore mass shooting

    Police: 1 person dead, 7 injured after Baltimore mass shooting

    Police: 1 person dead, 7 injured after Baltimore mass shooting

    ADDRESS THE MEDIA. GIVE US A LITTLE MORE INFORMATION STARTING RIGHT NOW. LET’S LISTEN IN. CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER FAITH LEACH. DEPUTY COMMISSIONER KEVIN JONES, FIRE DEPARTMENT CHIEF JAY WALLACE, DEPUTY MAYOR ANTHONY BARKSDALE AND ASSISTANT DEPUTY MAYOR SAM JOHNSON. THIS EVENING, JUST AFTER 8 P.M., OFFICERS RECEIVED MULTIPLE CALLS FOR A SHOOTING IN THE 1300 BLOCK OF SPRING STREET. ONCE ON SCENE, OFFICERS LOCATED MULTIPLE MALE VICTIMS AND ONE FEMALE VICTIM SUFFERING FROM GUNSHOT WOUNDS. AT THIS TIME, WE HAVE EIGHT CONFIRMED VICTIMS. ONE INDIVIDUAL WAS PRONOUNCED DECEASED 36 YEAR OLD MALE. PRELIMINARILY, THE VICTIMS RANGE IN AGE FROM 22 TO 45. THE VICTIMS RANGE IN CONDITION FROM CRITICAL TO STABLE. OUR HOMICIDE DETECTIVES ARE ON THE SCENE SCOURING THE SCENE FOR WITNESSES AND POSSIBLE BALLISTIC EVIDENCE. ATF IS ALSO HERE HELPING US WITH THE INVESTIGATION. AS YOU CAN SEE, IT’S A VERY EXPANSIVE CRIME SCENE. AND DETECTIVES ARE OUT SPEAKING WITH WITNESSES AND RESIDENTS WORKING TO IDENTIFY ANY VIDEO THAT WE COULD FIND. WHAT WE DO KNOW IS THAT OFFICERS LOCATED MULTIPLE VICTIMS AS WELL AS MULTIPLE FIREARMS ON THE SCENE. THE VICTIMS WERE TRANSPORTED TO THE HOSPITAL BY THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. WE’RE STILL VERY EARLY IN THIS INVESTIGATION, AND AT THIS POINT, I’LL TURN IT OVER TO CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER FAITH LEACH. GOOD EVENING, EVERYONE. I AM FAITH LEACH. I SERVE AS THE CITY’S CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER. AND I’M HERE THIS EVENING ON BEHALF OF MAYOR SCOTT, THE MAYOR AND THE ENTIRE ADMINISTRATION. SEND OUR HEARTFELT CONDOLENCES TO THE FAMILY OF THE 36 YEAR OLD VICTIM THAT LOST HIS LIFE TODAY. OUR PRAYERS ARE ALSO WITH THOSE WHO ARE THOSE WHO ARE ALSO SUFFERING FROM THIS INCIDENT. IT IS NOT LOST ON ME. THE IMPACT OF AN INCIDENT LIKE THIS ON OUR COMMUNITIES IN THE DAYS, WEEKS AND EVEN THE MONTHS AHEAD, WE WILL BE TASKED WITH WORKING WITH THIS COMMUNITY TO HEAL FROM THE TRAUMA OF THIS EVENING’S EVENT. THAT IS WHY UNDER THE DIRECTION OF MAYOR SCOTT, WE WILL BE LAUNCHING OUR COMMUNITY NEIGHBORHOOD STABILIZATION EFFORTS RIGHT HERE IN THIS COMMUNITY. IN THE DAYS OF HIT, IN THE DAYS AHEAD. NOW, I WANT TO TAKE A MOMENT TO SPEAK DIRECTLY TO MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY. PLEASE KNOW THAT THE SCOTT ADMINISTRATION WILL BE HERE. WE WILL BE HERE IN THE IMMEDIATE AFTERMATH OF THIS INCIDENT, BUT WE WILL ALSO BE HERE FOR THE LONG TERM TO ADDRESS YOUR CHALLENGES, YOUR NEEDS, AND TO ALSO HELP THE COMMUNITY HEAL. WE ALSO WANT ANYONE WHO KNOWS ANYTHING ABOUT THIS EVENT TO STEP FORWARD. YOU CAN CALL BPD’S HOMICIDE LINE AT. 443 9024824. WE ALL HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO OUR NEIGHBORS. WE HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO OUR FAMILIES AND TO OUR COMMUNITIES. SO IF YOU KNOW SOMETHING ABOUT THIS INCIDENT, PLEASE STEP FORWARD. THANK YOU. NOW, AT THIS TIME, WE’LL TAKE QUESTIONS. WE’RE GOING TO START HERE. AND WORK OUR WAY AROUND. SO WE’RE GOING TO GO RIGHT HERE. SO EIGHT PEOPLE SHOT ONE DEAD. ANY OTHER UPDATES ON CONDITION. IS ANYONE ELSE IN CRITICAL CONDITION? ANYONE YOU KNOW IS LIFE NON-LIFE THREATENING? YEAH THEY RANGE FROM CRITICAL TO STABLE. OKAY, WE KNOW NUMBERS ON THAT. NO WE DON’T. THERE’S THERE ARE AT DIFFERENT HOSPITALS. I KNOW WE HAVE A NUMBER OF VICTIMS IN BOTH OF YOU MENTIONED MULTIPLE FIREARMS. DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MANY SUSPECTS THERE MIGHT BE? WE DON’T NOT YET. COMMISSIONER, DO YOU KNOW WHAT SPARKED THIS? WAS THERE SOME EVENT HAPPENING? DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA AS TO THE MOTIVE OR THE MECHANICS OF HOW THIS ALL UNFOLDED? WELL, THERE’S A GATHERING OVER ON SPRING STREET AND AT SOME POINT IT LOOKS LIKE MULTIPLE PEOPLE OPENED FIRE AND WE END UP WITH EIGHT PEOPLE SHOT AND ONE DECEASED. AND WE SAW 50 EVIDENCE MARKERS. I MEAN, YOU KNOW, HOW MANY SHOTS OR ANY IDEA HOW MANY SHOTS WERE FIRED? WE DON’T KNOW YET. IT’S STILL THE EVIDENCE. MARKERS ARE STILL PROBABLY OUT THERE, PROBABLY STILL COLLECTING THE BALLISTIC EVIDENCE. COMMISSIONER, I SAW ATF NEAR THE SCENE. IS THAT IN RELATION TO THE GUNS THAT MAY HAVE BEEN RECOVERED HERE AT THE SCENE? THEY’LL. THEY COME TO HELP US ON ANY OF THE SCENES WHERE WE HAVE A LOT OF FIREARMS RECOVERED AND A LOT OF BALLISTICS EVIDENCE. THEY’VE BEEN A GREAT PARTNER OF OURS, AND WE’RE ALWAYS HERE TO HELP, AS IS ALL THE FEDERAL AGENCIES. WHENEVER WE REACH OUT TO THEM. BUT THEY CAME TO THE SCENE TO HELP US OUT WITH THE FIREARMS. YEAH. COMMISSIONER. UH, IT WAS POURING. I MEAN, YOU GUYS ARE ALL OUT HERE IN THIS. HOW DOES THAT IMPACT THE EVIDENCE COLLECTING FOR YOU ALL? DOES IT? DOES IT MESS IT UP AT ALL? UM. IT DEPENDS. THE THE CRIME LAB WERE PROFESSIONALS. THEY HAD IT MARKED. UM, OF COURSE, WE DON’T KNOW WHAT WE WHAT WE WHAT COULD HAVE GOTTEN LOST IN THE RAIN, BUT WE WERE HERE VERY QUICKLY. WE PUT THE MARKERS OUT VERY QUICKLY. WE GOT THE VICTIMS. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT GOT THE VICTIMS TO THE HOSPITAL. PROBABLY SAVED A FEW LIVES BY GETTING IN THERE. SO QUICKLY. BUT WE’VE GOT A LOT OF EVIDENCE, AND WE’RE LOOKING FOR A LOT OF VIDEO. IF ANYONE HAS VIDEO, PLEASE CALL OUR HOMICIDE UNIT OR 18667 LOCK UP TO GIVE US THE INFORMATION AND ALLOW US TO LOOK AT YOUR VIDEO THAT COULD HELP US SOLVE THIS CRIME. THANK YOU GUYS. CAN I JUST ASK ONE MORE THING? I JUST REALLY WANT TO KNOW. IS THERE ANY REASON TO BELIEVE THAT ANYONE THAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN SHOT TONIGHT MIGHT HAVE JUST BEEN A PASSERBY? LIKE, NOT INVOLVED IN WHATEVER WAS TRANSPIRING BEFORE THE SHOTS WERE FIRED? WE DON’T HAVE ANY INDICATION OF THAT. OKAY. THANK YO

    Police: 1 person dead, 7 injured after Baltimore mass shooting

    A 36-year-old man died and seven others were injured Sunday night after a mass shooting in Baltimore, according to police. The shooting happened just after 8 p.m. in the 1300 block of Spring Street. Officers found multiple firearms at the scene, according to Baltimore police Commissioner Richard Worley.The victims were taken to numerous hospitals and ranged in condition from stable to critical, according to Worley. It is unknown how many suspects there are. Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott released a statement after the mass shooting, saying: “Tonight, Baltimore is grappling with the impacts of another mass shooting event that has taken the life of one Baltimorean and irreparably changed several others. Investigators from the Baltimore Police Department will diligently work to find and hold those who are responsible accountable for this horrific act of violence. To those who know who was involved — even if they are your loved one — I implore you to do the right thing and urge them to take accountability. If you have any information that might help us bring justice to our community, call BPD’s homicide tip line at 410-396-2100. “These tragic acts of violence — which are still too common in our city — are only possible because of the continued ease of access to guns on our streets. We cannot acknowledge this tragedy without acknowledging the role that the proliferation of guns plays in endangering our communities. “Tonight, we are holding space in our hearts for the family of the Baltimorean we lost and those who have been injured — and we will continue our work to ensure no Baltimorean is lost to violence. To that end, we will activate a Coordinated Neighborhood Stabilization Response through MONSE, and will offer this community every resource they need to begin the long process to heal from this tragedy.”Preliminary information found that victims range in age from 22 to 45 years old, Worley said.

    BALTIMORE —

    A 36-year-old man died and seven others were injured Sunday night after a mass shooting in Baltimore, according to police.

    The shooting happened just after 8 p.m. in the 1300 block of Spring Street. Officers found multiple firearms at the scene, according to Baltimore police Commissioner Richard Worley.

    The victims were taken to numerous hospitals and ranged in condition from stable to critical, according to Worley. It is unknown how many suspects there are.

    Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott released a statement after the mass shooting, saying:

    “Tonight, Baltimore is grappling with the impacts of another mass shooting event that has taken the life of one Baltimorean and irreparably changed several others. Investigators from the Baltimore Police Department will diligently work to find and hold those who are responsible accountable for this horrific act of violence. To those who know who was involved — even if they are your loved one — I implore you to do the right thing and urge them to take accountability. If you have any information that might help us bring justice to our community, call BPD’s homicide tip line at 410-396-2100.

    “These tragic acts of violence — which are still too common in our city — are only possible because of the continued ease of access to guns on our streets. We cannot acknowledge this tragedy without acknowledging the role that the proliferation of guns plays in endangering our communities.

    “Tonight, we are holding space in our hearts for the family of the Baltimorean we lost and those who have been injured — and we will continue our work to ensure no Baltimorean is lost to violence. To that end, we will activate a Coordinated Neighborhood Stabilization Response through MONSE, and will offer this community every resource they need to begin the long process to heal from this tragedy.”

    Preliminary information found that victims range in age from 22 to 45 years old, Worley said.

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  • Gun violence over July 4 week dropped in 2024, but still above 2019 levels

    Gun violence over July 4 week dropped in 2024, but still above 2019 levels

    The number of people killed and/or wounded in shootings over the Fourth of July week in the U.S. dipped this year, making it the fourth year in a row gun violence around July 4 has dropped, according to a tally by the Gun Violence Archive.

    From July 1 to July 7, 340 people were killed and 756 were wounded for a total of 1,096 shooting victims across the U.S., according to the Gun Violence Archive. In 2023, the week of July 4 in the U.S. saw 451 people shot and killed and another 1,130 wounded. These numbers exclude those who died by suicide.

    The archive also recorded 20 mass shootings —which it defines as a shooting in which four or more people are shot and/or killed, not including the shooter— over Fourth of July week this year. That was down from 28 a year ago.

    Chicago, which saw a spike in gun violence this year, had the most shootings and deaths over the 2024 holiday, with more than 100 shot and 19 killed since Wednesday, according to the Chicago Police Department. That was a 91% increase in shooting victims compared with last year. 

    In 2022, the Illinois suburb of Highland Park was the site of a devastating mass shooting in which seven people were killed and dozens more were wounded when a gunman opened fire on the city’s Fourth of July parade. That parade returned this year for the first time since the shooting.

    Gun violence in Chicago made Illinois have the most individual shooting incidents of any state over the holiday week this year. California also saw a fairly high number of shooting incidents this year, which is unsurprising given that it is the nation’s most populous state.

    The number of shooting victims over the Fourth of July week has been dropping every year since 2020, but they still remain above 2019 levels. That year, there were 1,177 total victims, with 318 deaths and another 859 people wounded. The numbers then spiked in 2020, when 536 people were killed and 1,172 were wounded, for a total of 1,708 gunshot victims. 

    The Gun Violence Archive also recorded 34 mass shootings in 2020, the highest number over the last six years and a leap up from 18 in 2019.

    The U.S. has also seen a slight dip in gun violence overall in the first half of 2024 compared with last year. From Jan. 1 through June 30 of last year, 9,683 people were killed and 18,630 people were wounded in shootings. Over that same period this year, 8,539 were killed with another 16,192 were wounded.

    — Erin Cauchi and Anna Schechter contributed reporting.

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