Friday, May 4, 2012

66 dead from 69 shootings in April in the U.S. - A 37.5 % increase over March


Yes, guns do kill

This is the second in our new report on shootings that occur throughout the U.S. by month.  Last month was the first, and already April is showing an increase in deaths of 37.5 percent over March; it will be interesting to watch this trend over the coming year.  My figures are taken from reports on nationwide shootings by the national media and there is the possibility I could have missed some.  Please feel free to correct me if I have missed one in your area.

There were shooting incidents in 24 states with deaths resulting in 18 of those states.  Naturally, Arizona was first in both those categories with 18 shooting incidents resulting in 17 deaths.  Texas was second with 8 and 8.  It was interesting that New York with its tough gun laws had only one shooting incident with no deaths, at least as far as I could determine.  Calif., however, also with tight gun laws, had 5 incidents resulting in 12 deaths, one the Oakland spree.

I want to make it clear that these figures are not yet perfect and may never be since they are based on national media.  This is due to the fact that a shooting incident and death may not be reported in such a way that my search parameters find it.  I am working on perfecting this but still need your assistance in identifying any circumstances that I may have missed. 

As you can see, it is clear that Nasty Jack will continue this feature into the future until gun control law receives the attention it needs from the U.S. Congress, state legislatures and the voting public.

Now, on to this month’s gory facts:

  • April 1, Dallas, TX, man in car was shot when another car approached and someone demanded money, then shot victim in stomach and hand.
  • April 1, Phoenix, AZ, 3 shootings on this Sun. evening resulting in 3 dead.  2 others were wounded.
  • April 2, Hattiesburg, MS, 5 people wounded in a Mexican restaurant by a gunman. 
  • April 2, Phoenix, AZ, 1 dead and 1 wounded by unknown assailant. 
  • April 2, New York, NY, man with 9mm semiautomatic handgun shot 4 police officers.  He also had an assault rifle.  4 officers will recover.
  • April 2, Dallas, TX, teenager shot and killed in apparent sleepover where the two others were arrested.  Shooting either accident or result of bullying.
  • April 2, Oakland, CA, Korean nursing student went on shooting spree at his college and killed 7 people also wounding 3 others.
  • April 2, Inman, SC, 1 dead and 1 injured from shooting in quiet neighborhood.
  • April 3, Akron, OH, 2 hurt in 2 separate shootings.
  • April 3, Lexington, KY, man was wounded at celebration of Kentucky beating Kansas in the NCAA tournament.  The man’s leg had to be amputated.
  • April 3, Des Moines, 3rd case, at least, of gunfire in 2 days that almost hit a person in their home.  No reason given for why shootings were directed at specific homes.
  • April 4, Laveen, AZ, man shot and killed at Taco Bell drive-through when he allegedly threatened man in line with a pipe.  Shooter was not arrested.
  • April 5, Albany, GA, 2 people shot with 2 others being questioned over what happened at a mobile park.
  • April 6, Carlsbad, NM, woman fatally shot in Denny’s restaurant and indication is that it is random act of violence.  Shooter then shot himself.
  • April 6, Yuma, AZ, drive-by shooting earlier in this week which apparently was a street gang incident.
  • April 6, Tulsa, OK, 3 dead and 2 injured in alleged hate crime shootings.  All the victims were black, shooter was white.
  • April 6, Austin, TX, police officer killed responding to call at a Walmart store.  He struggled with shooter and when knocked to the floor the shooter pulled a semi-automatic pistol and shot officer.
  • April 7, Miami, FL, 15-year-old girl shot while sleeping in her bed. 
  • April 7, Phoenix, AZ, Walmart manager killed during a robbery of the store.
  • April 8, Jackson, MS, gunfire was exchanged at nightspot that was closed      between security guard and unidentified shooter, which was apparently beginning of a robbery attempt.  The guard was wounded.
  • April 8, Houston, TX, 1 person killed and 3 injured at beach party where there were thousands of participants. 
  • April 9, Brooklyn Park, MN, 3 dead at day care center when woman picked up her unhurt child, the only one there at the time.  No arrests yet.
  • April 9, Winston-Salem, NC, 4 people were injured in 2 overnight shootings from man firing a high-powered rifle into a crowd.
  • April 9, Tempe, AZ, 1 killed in shooting at apartment complex that occurred near pool area.  Witnesses say could have been fight.
  • April 9, South Dallas, TX, teen fatally shot after breaking into home with two others, who fled but were arrested.
  • April 9, Eloy, AZ, 2 men in pickup carrying illegals were killed.  Pinal County Sheriff says the 2 were ambushed by people dressed in camouflage and armed with rifles.
  • April 9, Akron, OH, 2 men wounded in 2 separate incidents, one in the head.
  • April 9, Phoenix, AZ, man who allegedly threatened YMCA staff member with a gun was shot by a police officer after the man tried to pull the gun on him.
  • April 10, Bullhead City, AZ, murder suicide of a man and woman, both with gunshots to their heads. 
  • April 11, Los Angeles, CA, 2 shot dead at the U. of So. California which is in an urban setting.  At the time the campus was swarmed with high school students looking to enroll.  The incident occurred in a neighborhood area where security has had to be increased.
  • April 12, Modesto, CA, sheriff’s deputy shot and killed trying to serve papers on a residence.  SWAT teams were called to where suspect was thought to be barricaded.
  • April 12, Anchorage, AK, 2 members of the U.S. Coast Guard were shot and killed at a communications station on Kodiak Island.  FBI and Coast Guard not sure if it was a double homicide or murder suicide.
  • April 12, Burnside, KY, man shoots woman and then kills himself.
  • April 12, Chicago, IL, mother and her baby girl were shot while sleeping in their family’s home.  Shots were fired into the home in the early AM wounding one in the head, the other in the leg.
  • April 13, Greenland, NH, Police Chief killed and 4 officers wounded in a drug bust when a man opened fire.  The Chief was just days from retirement.      
  • April 13, Colorado Springs, CO, bicyclist, riding with a friend at 1:30 AM, wounded and four others had a scare when bullets flew into an apartment complex in a separate incident.
  • April 13, Tulsa, OK, 2 injured when man with a semi-automatic weapon opens fire.  Police think shootings are random.
  • April 13, Fort Wayne, IN, man shoots a marshal and then is shot and killed by Fort Wayne police officer.
  • April 13, Brooklyn, OH, man kills 2 and wounds 1 in restaurant, then is killed by police.
  • April 13, Tucson, AZ, man kills a woman in house and then shot dead in a standoff by SWAT team. 
  • April 13, Chicopee, MA, 3 hour gun battle by a man in a third-story window of home firing a rifle during rush hour and with children going to school.  Police had no idea of why he did it.  The suspect was killed and one officer wounded in the hand and leg.
  • April 13, Columbia, SC, man and woman shot dead, the woman’s husband not hurt and was talking to authorities.  No charges were filed in a case that is apparently still in a state of confusion with the husband telling 2 stories to police.
  • April 14, Chicago, IL, 3 killed and 7 wounded in overnight shootings. 
  • April 15, Flint, MI, in multiple shootings over the weekend producing the third homicide of the month.  The other 2 were on Easter Sunday (not recorded above on Apr. 8, but included in killings).
  • April 16, Glendale, AZ, late night shooting at Luke Air Force Base in the housing area.  All authorities would say is that it isn’t terror-related.
  • April 16, Phoenix, AZ, in a drive-by shooting, a woman was shot in the stomach while walking from a pickup that drove up behind her. 
  • April 16, Glendale AZ, 1 dead 1 wounded by assailants wearing black clothes and bulletproof vests who stormed their apartment.
  • April 18, Spring, TX, mother shot repeatedly and newborn was abducted outside suburban pediatric center.  The 3-day-old boy was found later.
  • April 19, Edcouch, TX, cockfight at a ranch resulted in 3 shot dead and 8 others wounded.  It was a “massacre” according to the county JP.
  • April 20, Pinellas County, FL, 2 incidents resulting in 2 people shot.  One happened as a club was closing.
  • April 20, Cedar Rapids, IA, 3 shot on Friday in 2 incidents with all 3 in critical condition.
  • April 20, Fresno, CA, 1 man dead from shooting and another wounded in a separate incident.  One of the shootings suspected to be gang-related.
  • April 22, Aurora, CO, pastor’s mother shot and killed outside church.  An off-duty officer in the congregation shot a suspect who also died.
  • April 22, Phoenix, AZ, man shot and killed with his child in the car after an altercation with 3 men.
  • April 23, Tampa Bay, FL, shooter in a nightshirt opened fire on a speed-enforcement van in the middle of the night.  The van’s video camera recorded the entire episode.
  • April 24, North Bend, WA, man looked for in the shooting deaths of his wife and daughter and who hasn’t been seen since the bodies were discovered.  He is considered a “person of interest.”    
  • April 24, Scottsdale, AZ, janitor is dead from a shooting at a medical center where he was working at the time. 
  • April 24, Phoenix, AZ, 2 men were shot dead in a stalking incident.  A police officer shot one of the victims after he shot another man during a scuffle on the street.
  • April 24, Cedar Rapids, IA, 1 dead in an incident here at a strip club.
  • April 24, Roanoke, VA, a man and his wife are recovering after he accidentally shot himself and his wife at a firearms safety class.
  • April 25, Phoenix, AZ, woman shot by boyfriend on school campus when she tried to run away from him.  She is in serious condition.
  • April 25, Houston, TX, Walmart guard quit after killing shoplifter earlier.  There have been at least 16 shootings on Walmart properties in a 6 month period. 
  • April 26, Savannah, GA, 1 person injured in drive-by shooting. 
  • April 27, Des Moines, IA, at least 2 drive-by shootings with those arrested known gang members.
  • April 27, Buckeye, AZ, and we appropriately end in the loose gun laws state where 5 people were arrested for shooting out more than 50 car windows. 

An interesting observation exists in this documentation of shootings and killings.  It is the fact that there are large clusters by certain dates.  April 2, April 6, April 9, April 13, and April 24.  I plan to analyze these events for anything that makes the collection of episodes significant and report on them later.  In the meantime, May has already started with a bang.

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