On Wednesday (June 14), James T. Hodgkinson opened fire on a group of Republican members of Congress and their staff, injuring five people including House majority whip Steve Scalise. That shooting, which occurred on a baseball field in Alexandria, Virginia, was widely covered by the media and sparked conversations about gun control and political violence. But not counting the tragedy in Alexandria, the US actually experienced eight mass shootings just this week, leading to 12 deaths and 27 injuries. These tragedies received much less media attention.
Indeed mass shootings have become so commonplace in the US, it seems, that very few now attract national media coverage. (The number of mass shootings in the US varies depending on the definition.) And of course, for every mass casualty event, there are many more deaths and injuries caused by firearms that are not classified as mass shootings. According to the New York Times, if you average it out, 27 people are shot dead every day.
Here’s just a snapshot of the other eight mass shootings that occurred in the US this week:
June 11th
Houston, Texas: Three teenagers and one child were wounded after an argument outside of an apartment complex. One 16-year-old teenager was shot in the head. One 13-year-old teenager was shot in the thigh, the other was shot in the upper back. The 12-year-old child was shot in the hand. No arrests have been made.
Chattanooga, Tennessee: Four adults—Dereck Strickland, Devin Brown, Otis Franklin, and William Wright—were wounded after a drive-by outside the Playhouse Lounge, a local club.
Chicago, Illinois: Seven adults in their 20s and 30s and two teenagers were wounded in a drive-by shooting in Lawndale neighborhood.
June 13th
Baltimore, Maryland: Two people were killed and two other people were wounded in an early morning shooting. Police commissioner Kevin Davis announced that afternoon that officers and detectives would have to work 12-hour shifts instead of 10-hour shifts because of Baltimore’s ongoing gun violence problem.
Almost an hour after his announcement, four more people were wounded in northwest Baltimore.
June 14th
San Francisco, California: Four employees were killed—the beloved “Big” Mike Lefiti, Benson Louie, Wayne Chan, and Jimmy Lam (the shooter)—and two employees were wounded after a shooting at a UPS facility. The shooter had previously filed three grievances about working too many hours and appeared to have picked his victims deliberately.
June 15th
Richmond, Virginia: A 17-year-old was killed after a fight in the street. Four other people were wounded and taken to a medical center. Their injuries are not life-threatening.
June 16th
Espanola, New Mexico: Five people were killed in a domestic dispute and carjacking. Three of those people—Maria Rosita Gallegos, 49, Max Trujillo Sr., 55, and Brendan Herrera, 20—were family members of the shooter, Damian Herrera, 21. After killing his mother, father, and brother, Herrera stole cars from Michael Kyte, 61, and Manuel Serrano, 59, before shooting and killing them too.
Update: This story and its headline has been updated to reflect a ninth mass shooting that happened after the story had been edited.