Las Vegas mass shooting leaves five dead; gunman kills himself
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US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy releases an advisory that firearm violence is the leading cause of mortality for children and adolescents in the US.
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North Las Vegas Police investigate the scene of Monday night's shooting at an apartment complex in North Las Vegas, Tuesday, June 25, 2024. (AP)
Five people have been killed and a 13-year-old girl has been severely injured in North Las Vegas and 47-year-old suspect Eric Adams took his own life after being confronted by police officers.
Adams ran away after committing the crimes, but officers from the Criminal Apprehension team located him, and when they ordered him to drop the gun, he "ignored those commands and died by suicide,” police said.
According to the department's report, during their investigation into the shooting late Monday, officers in the North Las Vegas apartment discovered two women, one in her 40s and one in her 50s, dead from apparent gunshot wounds in a second-floor apartment. A third shooting victim, a 13-year-old girl, was also found in the apartment and transported to the hospital. Police said she is in critical condition.
During the investigation, police discovered three more shooting victims in a separate unit directly below the first apartment where the three women were found. Police said there were two women in their mid-20s and a man in his early 20s dead from apparent gunshot wounds.
The authorities have not disclosed a motive and have called them an "isolated incident".
The US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy released an advisory on Tuesday that firearm violence is the leading cause of mortality for children and adolescents in the US, classifying it as a public health emergency.
In September 2023, the Gun Violence Archive, a non-profit dedicated to monitoring gun-related violence and incidents, reported that there have been a staggering 502 cases of mass shootings in the United States since the beginning of 2023.
In light of the recent shooting in #Texas, here are the deadliest mass shootings in the US this year. The shootings come amid a clash in #US politics about #guncontrol. pic.twitter.com/lYQExsf7gh
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) May 9, 2023
The report highlights the growing concern surrounding gun violence across the nation.
Late last month, the Gun Violence Archive sounded the alarm, revealing a disturbing increase in the frequency of mass shooting incidents in 2023 compared to previous years.
If this alarming trend of an average of two mass shootings per day persists, the year-end figure could soar to a harrowing 700 cases, a grim milestone for the United States amid inaction from officials.
Even more alarming is the revelation that the number of mass shooting cases involving four or more individuals killed or wounded has nearly tripled over the past decade.
In 2014, the United States recorded 272 such cases, but by 2020, that number had surged to 610. It has been on the rise since then. This trajectory suggests that the years of President Joe Biden's tenure may witness the highest rate of mass shootings in recent memory.
