Another Mass Shooting During US Independence Day Holiday... 5 Dead in Philadelphia

In the United States, indiscriminate mass shootings occurred one after another around July 4th, the Independence Day holiday (local time).

According to The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) and others, around 8:30 p.m. the previous day, a man in his 40s opened fire indiscriminately in the Kingsessing area of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, killing five adult men. Two children aged 2 and 13 were also injured.

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

The suspect was wearing a bulletproof vest at the time and was armed with an AR-15 rifle, a handgun, extra magazines, and a police scanner. Daniel Outlaw, Philadelphia Police Commissioner, stated at a press conference that the suspect continued shooting while being pursued by police and was apprehended in a nearby alley. The motive for the crime has not yet been confirmed. It is understood that there was no connection between the suspect and the victims.

Initially, the police reported that four people had died in the shooting, but on the morning of the same day, it was confirmed that one more man died from gunshot wounds nearby. The victims were all men aged between 20 and 59. The injured children are currently in stable condition.

At the same time, a shooting incident occurred late the previous night in the Como area of Fort Worth, Texas, resulting in at least three deaths. Police who responded to the report found several victims with gunshot wounds in a parking lot. One died at the scene, and two died after being transported to a nearby hospital. Eight others who were injured are currently receiving treatment. Earlier, in the early hours of July 2nd, two people were killed and 28 injured in a mass shooting at a local festival in Baltimore, Maryland. More than half of the victims were reported to be minors.

President Joe Biden issued a statement that day, saying, "In recent days, we have had to endure a wave of tragic and indiscriminate shootings across the country," and "Today marks the one-year anniversary of the Highland Park mass shooting, and we pray for the day we will be free from gun violence." On July 4th last year, a man in his 20s opened fire indiscriminately on people attending an Independence Day parade in Highland Park, a suburb of Chicago, Illinois, killing seven people. President Biden emphasized the need to strengthen gun control, saying, "As we have seen in recent days, we must do more to address the epidemic of gun violence that is dividing our communities."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.