Juneteenth Marked by Mass Shootings Across America
Chris Menahan
This year’s Juneteenth celebrations were marked by yet another series of mass shootings across America leaving dozens injured and multiple dead.
Milwaukee, Wisconsin:
The shooting at MLK and Chambers that injured six as Milwaukee’s Juneteenth celebration was ending Monday was caught on camera. https://t.co/KBHgs8lHm1 pic.twitter.com/0IooZQ9mGN
— FOX6 News (@fox6now) June 20, 2023
From Fox 6 Now, “Milwaukee shooting, MLK and Chambers, 6 hurt”:
Six people were shot near Chambers and MLK just as Milwaukee’s Juneteenth celebration came to an end Monday, June 19 around 4 p.m.
It stemmed from a fight between girls, police said.
“After a day of Juneteenth celebrations where thousands in our community gathered peacefully,” said Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman.
Police said the victims ranged in age from 14-19; four girls and two boys.
Willowbrook, Illinois:
At least 29 people shot after gunfire erupted at an illegal street takeover in Willowbrook near Chicago, Illinois. Gunshots were discharged near the intersection of Honeysuckle Rose Lane and Route 83 (Kingery Highway).https://t.co/fGRz4VuCac pic.twitter.com/0YIoOIbcNR
— Fox3 Now (@fox3news) June 18, 2023
From FOX3 Now, “1 dead, at least 20 hurt in a shooting at a Juneteenth celebration in Willowbrook”:
According to the police, a shooting occurred overnight, resulting in at least 20 injuries and one fatality. Witnesses describe the incident as a Juneteenth celebration that tragically turned violent.
Some of the injured individuals were transported to hospitals via ambulance, while others made their way on foot, as stated by Deputy Sheriff Eric Swanson of DuPage County during a press briefing on Sunday.
Earlier, Joe Ostrander, the battalion chief of the Tri-State Fire Protection District, stated that ten patients with varying degrees of injuries, including graze wounds and more severe gunshot wounds, were transported to four hospitals.
Two individuals were reported to be in critical condition. Ostrander mentioned that at least 12 ambulances were dispatched to the scene.
Witnesses recounted that the shooting occurred in a parking lot in Willowbrook, approximately 21 miles west of Chicago, around 12:30 a.m.
The motive behind the shooting remains unclear and is currently under active investigation, stated Swanson.
Asheville, North Carolina:
Join us at #AshevilleJuneteenth this weekend! Saturday, 11 a.m. – 9 p.m. and Sunday, 1 – 6 p.m. in Pack Square Plaza. Schedule of events at this link – https://t.co/ne7SBD2TCD pic.twitter.com/osNmIWjXvW
— City of Asheville (@CityofAsheville) June 16, 2023
Shots fired at the Juneteenth celebration near Pack Square Park in downtown Asheville, North Carolina.https://t.co/KgdufQHdeA pic.twitter.com/zUEm7oSOdw
— Fox3 Now (@fox3news) June 18, 2023
A juvenile has been arrested after a shooting at a Juneteenth festival, according to Asheville Police Department.
Police say officers were called on Saturday just after 8:5o p.m. about reports of shots fired at a downtown Juneteenth festival at Pack Square Park.
According to police, officers arrived on the scene and found two juveniles suffering from gunshot wounds.
Both juveniles were taken to Mission Hospital with serious injuries but one has been released and the other remains in stable but critical condition, according to police.
Police say officers were able to find the two suspects nearby and take them into custody.
According to police, detectives cleared one and identified the other as the principal offender.
The city ended up canceling their Juneteenth celebration scheduled for Sunday:
San Diego, California:
Here outside a shooting in Liberty Station where one person was killed, police said. It was a Juneteenth celebration pic.twitter.com/xLeqhPF1uH
— Phillip Molnar (@PhillipMolnar) June 18, 2023
20-year-old killed at Juneteenth event in Liberty Station ‘had a great future ahead of him,’ family says [Breaking] https://t.co/iUf7fxsoTT
— The San Diego Union-Tribune (@sdut) June 20, 2023
San Diego, California:
Here outside a shooting in Liberty Station where one person was killed, police said. It was a Juneteenth celebration pic.twitter.com/xLeqhPF1uH
— Phillip Molnar (@PhillipMolnar) June 18, 2023
20-year-old killed at Juneteenth event in Liberty Station ‘had a great future ahead of him,’ family says [Breaking] https://t.co/iUf7fxsoTT
— The San Diego Union-Tribune (@sdut) June 20, 2023
A 20-year-old man fatally shot Saturday at a Juneteenth event in Liberty Station was a San Diego resident who was set to join the Navy, his family said Monday.
Jonathan Pullum’s father remembered him as a loving, smart, respectful, outgoing and charismatic man.
Pullum and another 20-year-old man were shot during the celebration at NTC Park on Cushing Road about 6:45 p.m. Police said a fight had broken out in the crowd.
Pullum died at a hospital. The other man, who was shot in one of his legs, was expected to survive.
The investigation was ongoing and no one had been arrested in the case as of Monday afternoon.
As a reminder, it was the GOP-controlled Senate in 2020 after the death of George Floyd who voted unanimously to make Juneteenth (aka African American Independence Day) a federal holiday despite only 7% of the Republican base supporting the move.
Every Juneteenth weekend has been marked by mass shootings and mob violence ever since.
