The News:
A graduation celebration took a tragic turn early Sunday morning as a confrontation escalated into a deadly shooting at Mays High School in Atlanta.
Two teenagers, a boy and a girl, both 16 years old, were the victims in this distressing incident.
What Happened?
Reports reached local authorities around half past two in the morning, stating that shots had been fired at the premises of Benjamin E. Mays High School. A 16-year-old girl was found wounded on the scene and was swiftly transported to the hospital, where she died from her injuries. Not long after, a 16-year-old boy arrived at the hospital himself, nursing a gunshot wound, which the police later verified was from the same incident.
The incident didn’t originate at the school but was seemingly an offshoot of an unauthorized assembly that formed at the school’s driveway, following the dispersal of a graduation party elsewhere in the community.
What’s Next?
While the identities of the victims remain undisclosed, the city is in mourning and shock over this tragic incident. The authorities are actively working with school officials to piece together the series of events leading to this unfortunate incident.
👮♂️ Gun Crimes in Our Communities: Here are statistics from The Gun Violence Archive, a non-profit meticulously tracking gun incidents.
2023 Statistics:
- Total gun-related incidents: 39,135
- Gun-related deaths (excluding suicides): 18,874
- Gun-related injuries: 36,357
- Mass shootings: 656
2022 Statistics:
- Total gun-related incidents: 42,064
- Gun-related deaths (excluding suicides): 20,200
- Gun-related injuries: 38,500
- Mass shootings: 647
While firearm deaths and injuries saw a slight decline compared to previous years, mass shootings continued to rise, with 2023 surpassing 650 incidents. This underscores the continued severity of gun violence in the U.S.
To Be Clear: These aren’t just digits on a page. Each statistic represents a life affected, a community shaken.
