Washington: After a significant drop in mass shootings in the United States during a pandemic-hit 2020, this year has already seen several deadly cases. Police in Indianapolis said eight people were shot and killed in a shooting late Thursday at a FedEx facility. The shooter also killed himself.
The ‘Gun Violence Archive’ says 147 mass shootings have occurred so far in 2021. Their definition of mass shooting is a minimum of four gunshot victims.
President Joe Biden last week announced a half-dozen executive actions to combat what he called an ‘epidemic and an international embarrassment’ of gun violence in America. But he said much more is needed.
Here is a history of some of the recent mass shootings:
Atlanta
Eight people were killed by a gunman at three Atlanta-area massage businesses in March. Seven of the slain were women, and six were of Asian descent. Police charged a 21-year-old white man with the killings. There was deep skepticism over the shooter’s claim that his motive was sex addiction. There was public clamouring for hate crime charges, especially among the Asian American community, which has faced rising numbers of attacks since the coronavirus pandemic took hold.
Boulder, Colorado
A week later, a shooter at a supermarket in Boulder, Colorado, killed 10 people, including a police officer who was the first to respond to the scene. The suspect bought a firearm at a local gun store after passing a background check. Investigators are working to determine the motive for the shooting and why the suspect chose the ‘King Sooper’s grocery store to buy the gun and ammunition.
Orange, California
A few days later, a gunman killed four people and critically wounded a fifth at a Southern California office building. He knew all the victims. Apparently before opening fire, he chained the gates to two entrances, delaying police from getting inside. Among the victims was a nine-year-old boy who was found cradled in the arms of a woman believed to be his mother. The woman was the only survivor among those shot. The others killed were a man and two women.
