USA: At least 12 people have been killed and more than 60 others injured in multiple shootings across seven US states during Halloween weekend, including three separate attacks in Dallas, Texas, that left four people dead and 15 others wounded.
The shootings occurred overnight at entertainment venues, house parties, a nightclub and other public gatherings, disrupting Halloween celebrations and triggering fresh concerns over gun violence in the United States.
In Dallas’ Deep Ellum entertainment district, three separate shootings claimed at least four lives and left 15 people injured, Dallas Police Chief Daniel C. Comeaux said.
A preliminary assessment indicated that the incidents were unrelated, although investigations were ongoing.
Comeaux said some victims transported themselves to hospitals, warning that the casualty figures could change.
A witness, Jessica Gamboa, described scenes of confusion and panic as successive shootings disrupted the night’s celebrations.
“Right after one shooting, you would hear another shooting, and you would see all the police officers take off running to the next scene,” she told NBC News.
In Birmingham, Alabama, one person was killed and eight others wounded in a shooting outside Legion Field following Saturday night’s Magic City Classic football game.
Birmingham Police Chief Michael Pickett said most spectators and families had left the stadium when gunfire erupted near vendors along Graymont Avenue.
He said he was “very grateful that more people weren’t injured”.
Police said one person was detained for questioning, while multiple weapons recovered at the scene were secured.
Nearly 70,000 spectators attended the annual rivalry game between Alabama State University and Alabama A&M University, two historically Black institutions whose football rivalry dates back more than a century.
In Boulder, Colorado, two University of Colorado students were shot at a house party, leaving one dead.
Police Chief Stephen Redfearn said officers had earlier visited the residence shortly after 10 p.m. following a noise complaint and shut down the party.
Officers took one extremely intoxicated person into custody for a hold before leaving the scene.
However, police received another call around 11.30 p.m. reporting a shooting at the property.
Two 19-year-olds were found with gunshot wounds, and one died after being taken to hospital.
Police are searching for two persons of interest in connection with the killing.
In Jacksonville, Florida, two people, including a 17-year-old girl and a 20-year-old man, were killed in separate shootings at Halloween parties that also left 11 others injured.
Police said the teenager was an unintended victim caught in gunfire while a crowd waited to enter a party at about 1.45 a.m.
Investigators believe two gunmen were involved in the incident.
The 20-year-old man was fatally shot during a fight at a house party and later died in hospital.
In Bloomington, Illinois, a 19-year-old woman was killed and seven others injured in a shooting near Illinois Wesleyan University.
Police withheld the victim’s identity pending notification of her family.
In Jackson, Mississippi, a man and a woman were killed while two other people were injured in a shooting at a nightclub.
Another shooting before 2 a.m. also left one man dead and several others injured, according to local police.
Meanwhile, six people were injured in a shooting near the University of Delaware in Newark, Delaware.
No fatalities were reported in the incident, while police continued investigations.
