Just over a week out from the midterm elections in which crime was polled to be a high priority, nine mass shootings were reported across the United States over the Halloween weekend. In one of those shootings, as many as 15 people, including three children, were injured in a drive-by shooting in Chicago. The victims’ conditions range from non-life threatening injuries to critical condition.
Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown said preliminary information indicates there were at least two shooters seen on surveillance video firing indiscriminately into a crowd on Halloween night. According to Brown, the child victims are a 3-year-old, an 11-year-old and a 13-year-old.
“They’re putting on an outfit just to enjoy the evening and then you got a clown that goes and discharges that weapon, bringing great bodily harm to these families,” community activist Andrew Holmes told WGN-TV.
No one was immediately arrested following the shooting. Investigators were trying to determine a motive, as well as a description of the car and those responsible.
Brown said there were no known conflicts at the street corner Monday night. He added there were several large groups at the corner, which is a popular gathering spot in the neighborhood. Some were reportedly attending a vigil.
Other mass shootings over the Halloween weekend spanned from Florida to California. According to the Gun Violence Archive, at least 10 people were killed and 46 injured in the mass shootings from Friday night through Monday night, including the one in Chicago. According to ABC 7 Chicago, prior to Monday night’s shooting, Chicago police said that at least 35 people were shot across the city over the weekend.
The Associated Press and The Washington Post contributed to this report.