July 4 (UPI) — Three people were killed and eight others wounded during a mass shooting incident in Fort Worth, Texas, during a neighborhood July 4 gathering, authorities said, adding to a wave of U.S. holiday shootings.
The mounting toll of violence prompted President Joe Biden to issue a statement denouncing the latest deaths as he and first lady Jill Biden prepared to watch Independence Day fireworks Tuesday night at the National Mall in Washington.
Police responded to reports of gunfire in Fort Worth’s historically Black Como neighborhood just before midnight on Saturday while a heavily attended annual street festival was ongoing, Fort Worth Police Capt. Shawn Murray told reporters.
They found a chaotic scene with people frantically trying to flee on foot and in cars.
Murray said two people were initially found dead, but police later updated that figure to three killed and eight hospitalized.
The crowds at the ComoFest were so thick that first responders had trouble getting in to attend to the dead and injured, the spokesman said.
There was no immediate confirmation on if just a single shooter was responsible for the carnage or what possible motivation they may have had.
Authorities urged witnesses to contact the Fort Worth Homicide Unit crime stoppers hotline at 817-392-4330.
The Fort Worth mass shooting was one of several around the United States as the July 4 holiday got off to a violent start.
In Philadelphia, five men were killed and two boys were injured in a shooting late Monday night that spanned multiple blocks in the city’s Kingsessing area.
In Baltimore, investigators said at least two people were involved in a mass shooting that killed two people at the annual “Brooklyn Day” block party.
In Chicago, a total of five people were killed and at least 33 wounded in a rash of shootings across the city, the Guardian reported. The deaths came as residents of suburban Highland Park, Ill., held a day of remembrance on the one-year anniversary of the July 4, 2022, parade shootings that killed seven people.
“Over the last few days, our nation has once again endured a wave of tragic and senseless shootings in communities across America — from Philadelphia to Fort Worth, Baltimore to Lansing, Wichita to Chicago,” Biden said in a statement.
“Today, Jill and I grieve for those who have lost their lives and, as our nation celebrates Independence Day, we pray for the day when our communities will be free from gun violence,” he added.
The president praised the efforts of Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering, gun violence survivors and others who have “fought tirelessly to turn the pain of Highland Park and other acts of gun violence into meaningful action on behalf of all Illinoisans.”
In January, they succeeded in banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines across Illinois, he noted.
