Dozens Shot Across Nation Over Violent Labor Day Weekend

 Dozens of people were shot in cities across the country over a violent Labor Day holiday this past weekend.

Gun violence broke out in at least seven cities over the three-day weekend, when much of the country was off from work and celebrating either at home or after traveling.

Chicago saw the most gun violence with at least 41 people shot, eight fatally.

A six-year-old boy was shot in his thigh and injured inside a home, and a teen boy was shot in the head and injured Sunday evening on the city’s South Side. No arrests have been made yet in either shooting, and detectives are investigating.

Late Friday, a 15-year-old boy was shot in the abdomen, and a 16-year-old girl was shot in the foot after a football game near a Chicago high school. The boy was reported in critical condition, and no one was immediately arrested.

A 53-year-old woman was found shot dead inside a Chicago home Saturday morning, and detectives were questioning a person of interest.

In Atlanta, 15 people were shot and six people died from their wounds over the weekend.

“It’s happening over and over, right here, in this area,” said Brad Olvey, the cousin of one of the victims, 25-year-old Harrison Olvey. “I’ve been here for almost 20 years. And it’s getting worse.”

 

In Kansas City, four people were shot and killed over the weekend, and all cases reportedly remain unsolved.

In Baltimore, police are investigating seven shootings that killed at least two people. On Friday night, a 12-year-old was shot and injured near a Baltimore high school by a gunman who is still on the run from police.

In New York City, at least three people were shot near a parade route in Brooklyn on Monday, including a 51-year-old man who died from his injuries.

In Philadelphia, at least two people, one elderly and one a minor, were shot over the holiday weekend. An 80-year-old was in critical condition after being shot in South Philadelphia on Monday. No one has been arrested yet. A 15-year-old boy was shot and injured Monday night in Philadelphia.

In Memphis, four people including a 17-year-old were in critical condition after three shootings over the holiday weekend.

Summer holidays including Labor Day, the Fourth of July, and Memorial Day typically come with a spate of violence, particularly gun violence, across the country, especially in major cities.

Last year, the violence in some areas was even worse.

Last year in Chicago, 55 people were injured and 11 people died from gun violence over the Labor Day holiday.

In Philadelphia in 2022, 10 people were killed over Labor Day weekend and 23 more people were injured.

In several major cities, gun violence has dipped this year since just after the pandemic in 2021, when shooting murders spiked 45% compared to 2019.

However, violent crime across the U.S. remains elevated above pre-pandemic levels.

Gun assaults were up 39%, aggravated assaults were up 8%, and robberies were up 2% in the first half of this year compared to the first half of 2019, according to a report from the Council on Criminal Justice.

Some cities are also now struggling with other crime trends such as car theft, robbery, and organized shoplifting.