“He just came in and started shooting” without saying a word, they said. Adding that the gunman “let off a couple of shots, then was silent, and then he let off a couple more. He wasn’t spraying.” — from Slate’s account of Monday’s Boulder, Colo. mass shooting at a grocery store
Mass shootings are now so frequent that I missed several entirely. CNN defines a mass shooting as four or more casualties (dead or wounded) excluding the shooter(s). By its count, seven have occurred in the last seven days.
Tuesday, March 16
Atlanta, Georgia
Eight people, including six Asian women, were killed when a White gunman stormed three spas, police said.Stockton, California, March 17: Five people who were preparing a vigil in Stockton, in California’s Central Valley, were shot in a drive-by shooting, the San Joaquin Sheriff’s Department said. None had life-threatening injuries.
Wednesday, 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, the San Joaquin Sheriff’s Department said. None had life-threatening injuries.
Thursday, March 18
Gresham, Oregon
Four victims were taken to the hospital after a shooting in the city east of Portland, police said in an initial report.
Saturday, March 20
Houston
Five people were shot after a disturbance inside a club, according to police. One was in critical condition after being shot in the neck, the rest were in stable condition, according to CNN affiliate KPRC.
Saturday, March 20
Dallas
Eight people were shot by an unknown assailant, one of whom died, according to police.
Saturday, March 20
Philadelphia
One person was killed and another five were injured during a shooting at an illegal party, CNN affiliate KYW reported. “There were at least 150 people in there that fled and believed they had to flee for their lives,” Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said.
Monday, March 22
Boulder, Colorado
Ten people, including a Boulder police officer, were killed in a shooting at the King Soopers supermarket, according to police.
CNN reports that the U.S. still does not have a central database for tracking firearms incidents and mass shootings. (Thanks, NRA.) Thus, “It’s unclear how this number of mass shootings compares to an average week in the US.” The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates nearly 40,000 Americans died in firearms incidents in 2019.
But since about 550,000 Americans died of COVID-19 since 2020, the NRA says neener-neener.