1 dead, 9 injured in mass shooting near Tennessee State University
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The shooting occurred around 5 pm (local time) along a street where TSU’s homecoming parade took place earlier that morning.
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Police lock down the scene of a shooting at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School in Missouri, in 2022. (AP)
A man was killed and nine other people were injured in a mass shooting Saturday near Tennessee State University as the Nashville school celebrated homecoming. Investigators believe at least one of the injured participated in the gunfire, officials said.
At least three of the injured were juveniles who had non-critical injuries, Nashville police said on X.
The shooting happened around 5 pm (local time) along a street where TSU’s homecoming parade had taken place that morning, Nashville police and fire officials said at a news conference Saturday evening.
The man who died was 24 years old, police said on X. His name, the names of the injured, and information about a motive were not immediately released.
At least one of the injured people “is suspected to have been involved in the gunfire,” Nashville police said on X. Police didn’t immediately say whether they were looking for anyone in connection with the shooting.
Investigators didn’t immediately know whether any of the people shot were TSU students, Nashville police Cmdr. Anthony McClain told reporters.
“We think this is something that was kind of a sidebar to the (homecoming) celebration” and “not a direct reflection on the university itself,” McClain said.
Firefighters who already were in the area to do community outreach during the morning parade rushed to the wounded after the gunfire, city fire department spokesperson Kendra Loney said.
The firefighters who were at the shooting scene “said it just sounded like fireworks… until they realized it wasn’t,” Loney said.
“Our personnel recounted to me some moments where they ripped off their belts and did things like use those as tourniquets because they did not have their medical bags with them,” she added.
The shooting “interrupted what was otherwise a fun and eventful day for a lot of people here today,” according to her.
Of the 10 shot, five were taken to hospitals by fire department personnel, and the others were “dropped off by private vehicles,” Nashville police spokesperson Brooke Reese said.
Saturday marked the end of homecoming week at the university. The school’s football team played its homecoming game Saturday evening at Nashville’s Nissan Stadium, roughly 3 miles east of where the shooting happened.
US gun violence: Debate intensifies as firearm deaths soar
Gun violence is a frequent issue in the United States, where there are more firearms than people. Despite public opinion polls showing a desire for stricter gun regulations, the strong influence of the gun rights lobby, constitutional protections, and a deeply ingrained gun culture create significant political obstacles to enacting tighter controls.
The 2022 gun safety legislation passed by Congress was the most significant in decades, enhancing background checks and supporting states with "Red Flag" laws that allow the confiscation of weapons from individuals deemed high-risk. Nevertheless, advocates argue that more comprehensive measures are necessary.
In that same year, over 48,000 people died from gun-related incidents, prompting the surgeon general to issue a landmark advisory declaring gun violence a "public health crisis."
Gun rights and gun violence are key issues in elections. Republican candidate Donald Trump, viewed as a strong supporter of gun rights, expressed on social media that "our hearts are with the victims" of the Georgia shooting.
On the other hand, Democratic nominee Kamala Harris, a former prosecutor, attorney general of California, and US senator, urged Congress to "finally" pass an assault weapons ban. This proposed ban would mirror the one that President Joe Biden helped draft and pass into law in 1994, which expired after a decade without renewal by Congress.
