50 Mass Shootings in America in under 35 Days

We have had 50 mass shootings in America in under 35 days, and are wondering about the violence on our streets in Philadelphia.
As much as I dislike writing about negative news, it is my responsibility, to tell the truth, even when the truth hurts. I do not write about every crime that occurs in Philadelphia. If I did, there wouldn’t be enough space in the SCOOP for all the unfortunate stories. Every year, I can look back at the columns I have submitted to the SCOOP, and I will find that indeed at least twenty to twenty-five of them are about people whose lives have been stolen from them at the hands of people who have chosen to become murderers.
What I also do as I write sad columns that report stories about innocent people who were murdered, is always include a sentence or two that shares the fact that Philadelphia, a city I love, is not the only city where we are in a battle against crime and violence. Based on television news reports we all see, you hear a lot about killings in our home town of course, and in such cities as Chicago, Houston, L.A., and Detroit.
But here is what the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) has to say about the matter. In terms of “most dangerous” cities in America, the FBI crime data may surprise you. They say the top ten most dangerous cities in America are: Anchorage, Alaska; Albuquerque, New Mexico; Memphis, Tennessee; Wichita, Kansas; Lubbock, Texas; Detroit-Dearborn-Livonia, Michigan; Spokane-Spokane Valley, Washington; Shreveport-Bossier City, Louisiana; Corpus Christi, Texas; and Mobile, Alabama.
To determine the rankings for the most dangerous metro cities in America, the FBI started with the most current FBI crime reports. It was noted that their data is not flawless, but it is the most extensive crime data available from 2020. They calculated both violent and property crime rates per 1,000 residents in each metro area. Both rates were used to rank the cities.
As for this journalist, I am shocked that cities such as New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Camden, Newark, Baltimore, and Philadelphia are not on the “Top Ten” list of most dangerous. I will take that as a good thing.
All of that shared, it is still hard to accept that since the March 16 killing of 8 people in Atlanta, Georgia, there have been 50 mass shootings in America, as of Sunday, April 18, 2021. Something is very wrong with this picture. Worse yet, since the start of the year, the U. S. has seen at least 150 mass shootings, according to data from the GVA (a non-profit based in Washington). Crime and Violence experts consider an incident to be a mass shooting if four or more people are shot, wounded, or killed, excluding the gunman.
Below is a list of locations where the mass shootings actually took place. This list was compiled by CNN.
April 18: Kenosha, Wisconsin, Three people were killed and three others wounded in a shooting.
April 17: Columbus, Ohio, A shooting at a vigil in Columbus, Ohio, left one dead and five others — including a 12-year-old child – wounded.
April 17: LaPlace, Louisiana, Nine juveniles were wounded by gunfire during a 12-year-old’s birthday party Saturday in LaPlace, Louisiana.
April 16: Detroit, Four people were wounded in a shooting during a vigil on Detroit’s east side when an unknown person fired into the crowd. The victims were expected to recover.
April 15: Indianapolis, Eight people were killed and several others wounded in a mass shooting at an Indianapolis FedEx facility.
April 15: Pensacola, Florida, At least six people were injured at an Escambia County apartment complex.
April 15: Washington, DC, Four people were shot, including a teenage girl, in Northeast Washington.
April 13: Baltimore Police said a dice game turned violent when two people opened fire on a group, wounding four.
April 12: Chicago, Four people were shot, one fatally, and a fifth person was hit by a car in a shooting just after midnight on the Eisenhower Expressway.
April 11: Wichita, Kansas, One person was killed and three others injured in a shooting at a house party at an East Wichita AirBnB.
April 11: Seattle, A toddler, and three other people are injured when suspects fired into a business parking lot.
April 10: Memphis, Tennessee, One person was killed, and three others, including a mother and child, were injured after gunfire was exchanged in a Memphis neighborhood.
April 10: Koshkonong, Missouri. One person was killed, and three others were injured in a shooting at a convenience store.
April 10: Waterbury, Connecticut, Police responded to calls of a weapons complaint and found blood trails and four injured victims.
April 10: Allendale, Michigan, An incident outside a house party resulted in four people being shot and one critically injured,
April 9: Fort Worth, Texas, One person was killed and at least five others injured when people in two vehicles shot at each other on a Fort Worth, Texas, freeway.
April 8: Bryan, Texas, A gunman killed one person and wounded at least five others — four of them critically — at a cabinet manufacturer.
April 7: Rock Hill, South Carolina A former NFL player killed six people — including a prominent doctor, his wife, and their two young grandchildren — before killing himself.
April 7: Milwaukee, A 26-year-old man was charged with the shooting that killed two people and injured two others at a gas station.
April 6: Detroit, One person was killed and three others injured after gunfire erupted from a car.
April 5: Chicago, Seven people were wounded on Chicago’s South Side, when gunfire erupted after a fight on a sidewalk. The victims — six men and one woman — ranged in age from 18 to 39.
April 5: Baltimore, Five victims were taken to a hospital with multiple gunshot wounds.
April 4: Monroe, Louisiana, Police responded to Bobo’s Bar, where they found six victims with gunshot wounds.
April 4: Birmingham, Alabama, An argument between two groups of men devolved into more than 30 shots fired at a park on Easter — killing a woman and wounding five other people, including four children.
April 4: Beaumont, Texas, A man arrived at home, threatening several people with a firearm before shooting four people.
April 3: Wilmington, North Carolina, Three people were killed and four others injured in a mass shooting at a house party.
April 3: Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Two men were arrested and charged with attempted murder after five people were injured during a shooting outside an Alabama bar.
April 3: Dallas, In what police said was an apparent murder-suicide plot between 21-year-old and 19-year-old brothers, they killed their parents, sister, grandmother, and then themselves.
April 3: Quincy, Florida, Seven people were injured by gunfire near a nightclub after a fight broke out.
March 31: Orange, California, four people, including a child, were killed and another person wounded in a mass shooting at an office complex in Orange, California.
March 31: Washington, DC, Five people were shot in Washington, the DC Police Department said. The incident started as a dispute and ended with two people dead and three injured.
March 28: Cleveland, Seven people were shot at a Cleveland nightclub. March 28: Chicago, Four people in an SUV were shot on the I-57 expressway.
March 28: Essex, Maryland, A man fatally shot his parents before shooting three people at a convenience store, killing two of them, The suspect died by suicide.
March 27: Chicago, Four people were shot in Chicago’s South Austin neighborhood.
March 27: Yazoo City, Mississippi, At least seven people were injured in a mass shooting at a nightclub.
March 27: River Grove, Illinois, A shooting on a party bus left three people injured and one dead.
March 26: Virginia Beach, Virginia, Three shootings in the city left eight people injured and two dead.
March 26: Chicago, A gathering in Chicago’s Wrightwood neighborhood turned into a mass shooting. Two gunmen opened fire inside the gathering wounding seven people and fatally shooting a 26-year-old man.
March 26: Norfolk, Virginia, Police responded to a shooting that left four people wounded,
March 26: Memphis, Tennessee, Five people were shot. Three victims were pronounced dead at the scene, two were taken to a hospital in critical condition, and one was in non-critical condition.
March 26: Philadelphia, Outside of the Golf and Social Club, police say two suspects shot seven people.
March 23: Aliceville, Alabama, A shooting reported at an Aliceville home left two people dead and two injured.
March 23: Boulder, Colorado, Ten people, including a Boulder police officer, were killed in a shooting at a King Soopers supermarket,
March 20: Philadelphia, One person was killed, and another five were injured in a shooting at an illegal party.
March 20: Dallas, Eight people were shot, one fatally, by an unknown assailant.
March 20: Houston, Five people were shot after a disturbance inside a club.
March 18: New Orleans, Four people were wounded in a shooting in New Orleans’ Seventh Ward.
March 18: Gresham, Oregon, Four victims were taken to the hospital after a shooting in the city east of Portland.
March 17: Stockton, California, Five people who were preparing a vigil in Stockton, in California’s Central Valley, were shot in a drive-by shooting. None had life-threatening injuries.
March 16: Atlanta, Eight people, including six Asian women, were killed when a White gunman stormed three spas, police said. One person was wounded.
All this violence and killing must stop. I believe it starts with prayer and then with deeds. Faith without works is dead. Members of Black Clergy and churches citywide held prayer vigils because much prayer is needed.