Communities across the country are grappling with a wave of violence in the final days of spring, including at least four mass shootings in one weekend, continuing Monday with stabbings outside an Indiana strip mall.
On Saturday, a lone gunman opened fire at a recreational splash pad in suburban Detroit, injuring nine people, including an 8-year-old who was shot in the head. In Texas, deadly gunfire broke out during a Juneteenth celebration, leaving two people reported dead.
Other shootings and stabbings, in locations from Massachusetts to Indiana, marred the days before spring turned to summer There is sweltering heat in many regions.
Chris Dennison, a professor of sociology at the University at Buffalo who studies crime, said the arrival of seasonal weather provides more opportunities for crime and violence, amid heightened concerns about mental health issues and destructive impacts.
“More people are out and about, more people are traveling, the days are longer, the weather is better: people are just much more likely to be out and about, and with that the risk of crime is unchanging there too,” Dennison said Monday. .
The eruption of violence is a counterpoint to this FBI data shows a sharp decline in violent crime across the country earlier this year.
Brian Higgins, a lecturer at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York, said summer heat, large social gatherings and alcohol consumption typically fuel a seasonal increase in violence.
“This is to be expected,” said Higgins, a former police chief of Bergen County, New Jersey. “Is it worse than other years? That remains to be seen.”
Nine people were injured in a Detroit suburb, including two young children and their mother The gunman opened fire Saturday at a splash pad where families gathered to escape the summer heat. An 8-year-old among the victims was shot in the head and is in critical condition.
Authorities say 42-year-old gunman Michael Nash shot as many as 28 times, stopping several times to reload. He then went home to Shelby Township, where he committed suicide. Nash had no prior criminal history, but apparently privately struggled with “mental health issues,” police said.
A splash pad is a recreational area with a non-slip surface where people can play in fountains and water sprinklers.
Also Saturday, six people were shot in a residential area in Lathrup Village, another Detroit suburb.
Saturday night, gunfire broke out during a Juneteenth celebration at a public park in Texas, about 20 miles north of Austin.
Police in Round Rock on Monday identified the two women killed in the shooting as Lyndsey Vicknair, 33, and Ara Duke, 54. Neither woman was involved in an altercation during the event that escalated into the shooting that injured 14 others, the police said. Because the police started looking for a suspect, no immediate arrests were made.
The Two children were also injured in a shooting at Old Settlers Park in Round RockRound Rock Police Chief Allen Banks said.
In Indianapolis, nine people were injured in a stabbing outside a strip mall early Monday morning, including three in critical condition, police said.
Officer William Young of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department said investigators believe a disturbance between two groups preceded the stabbings in a parking lot outside a restaurant and lounge. Three of the hospitalized people were in critical condition. No immediate arrests were made, while police spoke to several witnesses and requested CCTV footage.
Also Monday, police in Chicago said 11 people were injured in two shootings that occurred about an hour apart in the city’s Humbolt Park and Englewood neighborhoods.
Seven people were shot and injured as they ran away On Sunday, gunfire broke out at a large gathering of young people in Methuen, Massachusetts.
Authorities say the gunfire started at 2 a.m. after hundreds of people gathered for a pop-up party organized on social media. The victims ranged in age from 17 to 22, with two people in critical condition.
Metheun Police Chief Scott McNamara said authorities monitor “hot spots” where such gatherings normally occur, but Sunday’s gathering took place at a new location and turned violent.
Also on Sunday, officers in Denver shot and killed a woman holding a large hunting knife at a downtown intersection. Officers used a Taser on the woman twice, but she began advancing on them as they tried to back away, Denver Police Chief Ron Thomas said at a news conference.
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Associated Press writers Jim Vertuno in Austin, Rick Callahan in Indianapolis, Colleen Slevin in Denver and Bruce Shipkowski in Toms River, NJ, contributed to this report.