NEW YORK – The Easter holiday weekend marked yet another deadly weekend in the U.S. as gun violence killed and wounded hundreds of people across the country. According to the Gun Violence Archive, there were at least 248 shootings over the holiday weekend in which at least 90 people were shot and killed and 228 others wounded. This number includes the devastating shootings that occurred in cities across the country; at least 33 people were shot in Chicago alone, highlighting the importance of addressing city gun violence.
A snapshot of the weekend’s gun violence:
- Multiple incidents of gun violence in Chicago over the long weekend resulted in at least 33 shot, at least 4 people fatally. This included a deadly mass shooting inside the Poppy’s Chat Room cafe, which resulted in one woman killed, and four other women wounded.
- On Friday night, an 11-year old boy was shot in the head in St. Paul, Minnesota, and is in critical condition.
- In Cheyenne, Wyoming a neighbor shot and killed a man on Saturday after witnessing a domestic dispute. The shooter resided in the apartment upstairs of the victim.
- On Saturday night, a shooting outside a mall in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana left seven children, all under the age of 17, shot and wounded.
- At an Easter brunch in a restaurant in Nashville, Tennessee, a shooting resulted in one man shot and killed and several others shot and wounded.
- Several people were wounded in a shooting and fight that occurred in northeast Las Vegas, Nevada on Easter evening.
- In Omaha, Nebraska, a 14-year old girl was shot and wounded early Sunday morning.
- In Phoenix, Arizona, a police officer was shot multiple times on Friday night, responding to an armed robbery.
- In Portland, Oregon, multiple people were shot and wounded in at least three separate gun violence incidents throughout the weekend.
- In New York City, there were at least six shootings over the long weekend, which resulted in three people killed. On Saturday, a two-year-old was shot and thankfully survived, after being grazed by a bullet in the Bronx.
“The fact that celebrating holidays in America is consistently accompanied by overwhelming gun violence is simply unacceptable,” said Angela Ferrell-Zabala, executive director of Moms Demand Action. “We witnessed over 200 shootings this Easter weekend, with extensive suffering in cities like Chicago, New York City, and Portland. This does not have to be our reality. Our hearts are with the communities who have been impacted as we continue fighting for proven solutions to this crisis – including meaningful investments in community-based violence prevention initiatives in cities across the country.”
To save lives, lawmakers at every level must take meaningful action to prevent access to guns by those who are a danger to themselves or others, invest in community-based violence intervention programs that do life-saving work in the nation’s hardest hit communities, and reject any efforts to pass gun-lobby-backed bills that would weaken lifesaving gun laws.
Community Violence Intervention (CVI) organizations leverage earned trust and credibility to identify and engage high-risk individuals with evidence-informed approaches like street outreach and hospital-based violence intervention programs. These programs are on the frontlines in the cities with the highest gun violence and communities experiencing the disproportionate impact of gun violence. While historic investments have been made at all levels of government, CVI organizations still struggle to access promised funding and when they do, funding is restricted to programmatic expenses, preventing them from increasing staff, building their capacity or scaling to more people and places in need. Information about CVI investments can be found here.
To speak with a volunteer with Moms Demand Action or Students Demand Action, or a community violence intervention organization please do not hesitate to reach out.