Multiple People Shot Over The Weekend In A Series Of Mass Shootings

The gun violence crisis in America continued over the weekend when a series of mass shootings unfolded across several cities. The latest incidents of gun violence took place in a popular Philadelphia neighborhood, a hospital in Goldsboro, North Carolina, and a nightclub in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

In Philadelphia, three people were killed and 11 others were wounded on Saturday night when violence erupted in the city’s Queen Village neighborhood, 6 ABC reports. Police said one of the three people killed may have been involved in “a physical altercation” with another man. As those two men began firing at each other, they were both struck by gunfire, but only one of them was killed, police said.

The two other people killed, along with several others who were injured, are believed to have been innocent bystanders ranging in age from 17 to 69.

Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said officers found one person firing into a crowd of people when they rushed to the scene. The gunman fled when one officer fired several times in his direction, Outlaw said during a press conference on Sunday. Police believe the gunman may have been hit by the officer’s gunfire.

“It went on for much longer than I thought it should go on. At that point, you question ‘what is that?’ I knew it must’ve been gunshots. It must’ve been 30 shots I heard,” Philadelphia resident Frank Snyder told 6 ABC.

One of the people killed in the mass shooting is identified as 22-year-old Kris Minners, a second-grade resident advisor at Girard College, a five-day boarding school in Philadelphia for students grades 1-12. Minners was also a member of the union known as Girard College Federation of Teachers.

“Our hearts are heavy today with the passing of Kris Minners, a second-grade boys’ resident advisor at Girard College and member of our union, yet another victim of senseless gun violence. Our thoughts are with Mr. Minners’ family who woke up this morning missing someone at their breakfast table, his colleagues who will be without a friend, and with his students who will be without a mentor and a role model,” the union said in a statement.

Greg “Japan” Jackson, who was among the three people who died on Saturday, is identified as one of the individuals involved in the altercation, 6 ABC reports. Friends and family said the 34-year-old was an avid skater and well known in the boxing community.

Police said there haven’t been any arrests made at this time.

In Goldsboro, North Carolina, Wayne UNC Health Care hospital was placed on lockdown on Sunday night when a shooting took place at the facility, The News & Observer reports.  One visitor sustained non-life-threatening injuries when the violence erupted, a Wayne County spokesman said.

Police are still looking for a suspect who fled the scene. Alan Wolf, a UNC Health Care spokesman, said they know who the suspect is and the shooting “is domestic in nature.”

Another violent scene unfolded outside a nightclub in Chattanooga, Tennessee, on Sunday shortly before 3 a.m. Three people died and 14 were injured during the chaos, ABC News reports. Chattanooga Police Chief Celeste Murphy said two of the people died from gunshot wounds, while a third died after being hit by a car. Three other people were also injured when they were hit by cars while trying to flee.

According to CBS News, police said there were multiple shooters involved, but this was an isolated incident and authorities don’t believe there’s an ongoing public safety threat. Police haven’t yet identified the victims or suspects.

“We’re trying to determine exactly what happened and what led up to this taking place,” Chattanooga Police Chief Celeste Murphy said during a press conference.

The Tennessee mass shooting took place a week after six teenagers were shot in downtown Chattanooga during a confrontation between two large groups.