Two Columbus shootings leave 4 dead, several wounded
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The Columbus police say that the motives behind one of the shooting attacks resulting in three deaths "were known".
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At the scene of a shooting and car crash in Baltimore, Maryland, Jan. 28, 2023 (AFP)
A mass shooting in Columbus, Ohio, during the early hours of Saturday, left three dead and others wounded, the police said in a statement.
The incident occurred around 3 am in the Italian Village area, north of downtown Columbus, according to local police.
One of the wounded was in critical condition, and two others were stable.
Reports suggest there may have been semi-automatic or automatic gunfire, accompanied by vehicles rapidly fleeing the scene. The police are currently investigating the shooting and its surrounding circumstances.
Read more: US school shootings in 2021-2022 break 21-year record-high: Report
Deputy Chief Gregory Bodker informed the media that officers arrived at the scene just 2 minutes after the shooting and encountered a "very chaotic scene," adding that there was a bar nearby and that the motives of the shooting were immediately known.
Nevertheless, the number of suspects implicated remained uncertain, and the Franklin County sheriff's office deployed a drone to assist in documenting the expansive crime scene. Police were actively gathering evidence and video footage for additional scrutiny and investigation.
A local resident who witnessed the attack described it as "something like a scene from the movie as you would never want to see happen in real life, honestly.”
“(I) honestly think this is a cry for help,” Daquian Williams added. “It’s a cry that we need to come together. We need to learn mentally. This is my daughter. This is what we got to do it for. We have kids that live in all of these neighborhoods, no matter where we’re at in this city. And that’s our future.”
About two hours earlier, Columbus police responded to a seperate shooting report at Vineshire Drive.
According to law enforcement, an argument erupted during a birthday celebration for Tyler Goins, 34, between two men. Alsaiah Griffin, 30, allegedly produced a gun during the altercation and fatally shot Goins.
Griffin later surrendered to the police and was charged with murder, the report said, adding that he initially fled the scene but eventually returned to turn himself in.
In 2023, over 42,000 individuals in the United States were killed due to gun violence, data released last December by the Gun Violence Archive (GVA) revealed, with over 500 mass shootings taking place as of September.
