Two Women and a Cleveland Police Officer Among Victims in July Fourth Shootings

Two women in Chicago, a Cleveland police officer, and an armed individual in Yellowstone National Park were among those killed in shootings on the Fourth of July, historically one of the deadliest days of the year in the U.S.

Violence and mass shootings often increase during the summer due to social gatherings, school vacations, and hotter weather.

In Chicago, three boys aged 8, 7, and 5 were injured in a shooting on Thursday, which police attribute to a personal dispute. The two women killed were aged 42 and 22. According to Deputy Chief Don Jerome, two vehicles arrived in a south-side neighborhood, and multiple people exited and opened fire on a home. Shell casings from both a rifle and a handgun were found at the scene.

In Cleveland, Officer Jamieson Ritter, 27, was killed while serving a warrant for felonious assault around 1 a.m. The suspect allegedly fled the home and fired multiple shots, hitting Ritter, as stated by Police Chief Dorothy Todd.

In Yellowstone, a person making threats exchanged gunfire with park rangers on Thursday at Canyon Village, an area with a campground, lodging, and a visitor center. The ranger involved was hospitalized in stable condition, though details on how the ranger was injured were not specified.

In a separate incident on Wednesday evening, a 13-year-old girl, Jayda Woods-Johnson, was fatally shot at a mall in Lynnwood, Washington, after a fight between two groups of teenagers led to one teen firing a handgun. Jayda was a bystander uninvolved in the altercation. The suspected shooter, a 16-year-old boy, was later brought to the police by his mother.

A year ago, Fourth of July shootings resulted in over a dozen deaths and more than 60 injuries. Two years prior, a mass shooting at a Fourth of July parade near Chicago left seven dead.