Back-to-Back Mass Shootings…

On Sunday, June 5th, a mass shooting occurred outside of a nightclub in Chattanooga, Tennessee leaving 3 people dead and 17 injured. According to police reports, the shooting took place around 2:45 a.m on McCallie Avenue. 14 people were shot and three people were hit by cars while attempting to flee the scene for safety. 

Celeste Murphy, Chief of Police, said two people died as a result of their gunshot wounds while the other victim died as a result of the injuries received from being hit by a car. According to reports, 16 of the victims are adults, one is a minor, and several of the victims are in critical condition. All victims were between the ages of 16 and 49. 

Surveillance footage of the street saw 3 males hop out of an SUV at 2 a.m and proceed to walk around a parking lot with a firearm in hand. A patron outside of Mary’s Bar in Chattanooga was doing a Facebook live before the shooting began. In the clip on the social media platform, viewers can see a man in a white shirt and blue jeans holding a large gun in a group outside of the bar. 

Police have arrested Garrian King, 28, in connection with the Chattanooga shooting. King has been charged with possession of a firearm while being a convicted felon. Authorities identified King using surveillance footage, as well as the Facebook live, in connection with the stolen SUV the three men were seen getting out of. The firearm seen in the video footage is listed as an AR pistol, according to the arrest affidavit. The affidavit is available to read online. 

After the shooting Sunday night, Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly called on Congress to address the rampant gun violence in the nation. Kelly, a gun owner and proclaimed “avid hunter” said, “Congress needs to do their jobs and pass common-sense regulations that will help stop this nonsense.

That doesn’t mean taking guns away from responsible gun owners, but it does mean mandatory background checks and prohibiting high-capacity magazines that allow shooters to hurt dozens of people without even having to reload.” 

Further expressing his frustrations, Mayor Kelly addressed reporters and the public saying, “I’m tired of standing in front of you talking about guns and bodies.”

Mayor Kelly’s view on these massive shootings…

Mayor Kelly addressed the public saying his administration would be taking steps to reduce gun violence on a local level within the next few weeks. This news comes following the shooting on June 5th as well as the shooting that took place the previous weekend in which six minors were injured after an exchange of gunfire in downtown Chattanooga. 

Throughout the June 3rd-5th weekend, there were 12 mass shootings in the United States, with the second-largest shooting, compared to Chattanooga, occurring the night before in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. According to the Gun Violence Archive, three people were killed and 11 were wounded when gunfire erupted on South Street, a popular downtown Philly location. 

Police were already patrolling the high-volume entertainment district when officers saw several gunmen firing into a large crowd. Two men and one woman were killed in the shooting, with 11 others sent to the hospital.

There were many videos taken of the shooting from various people at the bars near where the shooting took place as well as surveillance footage from businesses in the area. Police have made two arrests in regards to the South Street Mass Shooting. The victims were 34-year-old Gregory Jackson, 27-year-old- Alexis Quinn, and 22-year-old Kristopher Minners.

After the Saturday night shooting, Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney said, “The surge in gun violence that we’ve seen across the nation and here in Philadelphia makes me not just heartbroken, but angry. Once again, we see lives senselessly lost and those injured in yet another horrendous, brazen, and despicable act of gun violence.”