At least one killed, six wounded in New York mass shooting
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No arrests have been made, but the Rochester police are urging eyewitnesses to send in tips and videos connected with the shooting.
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New York Police Department officers watch demonstrators in Times Square during a Black Lives Matter protest in New York, June 1, 2020. (AFP)
At least one person was killed and six wounded after a mass shooting erupted on Sunday evening in a Rochester park, New York, the police said.
The shooting at Maplewood Park occurred around 6:20 pm, the Rochester police said, reporting the incident claimed the life of an individual in their 20s while leaving another victim in a life-threatening condition.
The remaining five wounded victims were taken to a hospital in upstate New York, where they will be treated for their minor injuries, authorities said.
“At this point, we don’t know how many people were shooting,” Rochester Police Captain Greg Bello said during a briefing reported by Rochester First, concerning the lack of immediate information on the shooting. “We are trying to work our way through that. We are trying to work our way through as many witnesses as we can.”
Investigators were probing ballistic evidence during their examination of the crime scene late Sunday, but no arrests have been made.
The deceased's identity was not immediately disclosed since authorities worked to notify family members.
“Anything on who decided to — on a Sunday afternoon where everybody’s out barbequing, having a good time — decided to pull out a gun for whatever reason whether there’s a dispute going, short term, long term, whatever it was,” Bello said, urging witnesses to send the police tips and videos linked to the shooting. “Somebody that pulled out a gun, obviously that’s incredibly unacceptable in our society.”
Fourth of July violence in US kills at least 33
The United States has an enduring issue with gun-related violence. Earlier this month, shootings and other incidents of violence over the long Fourth of July weekend killed at least 33 people nationwide, including 11 in Chicago, and injured scores more around the country, according to police.
The Fourth of July has historically been one of the country's bloodiest days of the year. A spate of gun violence around the holiday a year ago killed more than a dozen people and injured nearly 60 more. A year before, seven people were killed in a mass shooting at a Fourth of July parade outside Chicago.
Summer months are generally associated with increased violence and mass shootings.
On July 5, 11 people were murdered and 55 were wounded in gunshots around Chicago during the long July Fourth weekend, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
The latest violence "has left our city in a state of grief," Mayor Brandon Johnson stated.
"We are devastated by the recent violence that has left our city in a state of grief and we extend our heartfelt condolences to the families and communities impacted by these recent events," Johnson told the audience.
Eight individuals were injured in Chicago's Little Italy area soon after midnight on July 5. Around 90 minutes later, six people were injured in a shooting in the city's Austin area. A Lake Michigan beach in Chicago was closed after several recent stabbings and shootings.
