Weekend Mass Shootings in Chicago and Multiple States Leave 12 Dead

Chicago Police set up near the corner of 64th St. and Loomis Blvd., an intersection near the location where an officer was shot, in Chicago, on June 1, 2022. Brian Rich/Chicago Sun-Times via AP

Thirteen incidents of mass shootings in Chicago and other states across the country on the weekend have left several people dead and more injured.

In a drive-by mass shooting in Chicago on June 11, four people were injured and one was killed. The five individuals were standing in an alley on the 8600 block of South Damen Avenue in the Auburn Gresham neighborhood when an unknown vehicle drove by and a person inside started shooting at people. The incident took place at 3:20 p.m. with the victims between the ages of 23 and 42.

A 23-year-old man who was shot multiple times was taken to the Christ Hospital where he was pronounced dead. A 24-year-old man who was shot in the left leg and foot, a 39-year-old man who was shot in the left leg, and a 42-year-old man who sustained multiple gunshot wounds were also taken to Christ Hospital. A fifth man was sent to the Little Company of Mary Hospital.

All four injured individuals are expected to recover, the Chicago Police Department said according to ABC 7 Chicago. Police haven’t released a description of the vehicle and are currently investigating the incident.

According to data from the Gun Violence Archive, there were 13 mass shootings in 11 states for the June 10–12 weekend, resulting in 12 dead and 53 injured. A mass shooting is counted when there are at least four victims shot, whether injured or killed, not including the shooter, according to the Gun Violence Archive.

There were two mass shooting incidents in Georgia on June 10 and June 11. California registered the highest number of deaths with three people dying during a shooting on June 12.

Chicago and California have some of the most restrictive gun control laws in the country.

The shootings come as a bipartisan group of U.S. senators recently agreed on a framework for gun safety that will include cracking down on illegal gun purchases and tougher checks for individuals under the age of 21 looking to buy a gun legally.

“Families are scared, and it is our duty to come together and get something done that will help restore their sense of safety and security in their communities,” the bipartisan group said in a statement, according to the BBC.

The proposal has the support of 10 Republicans, who are needed to pass the Senate filibuster threshold of 60 votes. The upper chamber of Congress is currently split 50–50 between Republicans and Democrats.

Meanwhile, the National Rifle Association (NRA) wrote in a June 12 tweet that it would continue opposing “any effort to insert gun control policies, initiatives that override constitutional due process protections & efforts to deprive law-abiding citizens of their fundamental right to protect themselves/loved ones into this or any other legislation.

“The NRA is committed to real solutions to help stop violence in our communities. We encourage our elected officials to provide more resources to secure our schools, fix to our severely broken mental health system, and support law enforcement,” the organization stated. “We will make our position known when the full text of the bill is available for review.”