(NewsNation) — Ahead of the Memorial Day weekend, America had seen an uptick in crime across the nation, with shootings happening nearly every day in large cities, from New York City to Chicago to Southern California.
This Memorial Day weekend, the violence didn’t stop.
Over the extended holiday weekend, there were shootings in almost every state in the country.
In New York City, 17 people were shot during the extended holiday weekend.
In Philadelphia, there were 13 homicides. Among the victims, a father and his 9-year-old son who were gunned down inside their car.
In Chicago, 48 people were shot. Nine victims died.
All this violence as the nation is still grieving the recent killings of 19 children and two teachers in a mass school shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.
Late Monday night in Charleston, South Carolina, multiple people were shot and transported to local hospitals in the city’s downtown area. There is no further information available on injuries at this time.
One officer suffered minor injuries from the shooting, and a deputy with the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office was assaulted at the scene. Two people were arrested in connection to the assault.
In Memphis, four people were shot at a Memorial Day weekend block party.
And in Henderson, Nevada, police say two rival motorcycle gangs took aim at each other on a highway. Seven people were hit. Three men were arrested and charged with attempted murder.
The worse shooting happening in Taft, Oklahoma where eight people were shot at an annual outdoor festival.
A 39-year-old woman was killed, and the other eight victims were wounded. The youngest victim is only 9 years old.
A 26-year-old man was arrested in connection to the shooting.
In Chattanooga, Tennessee, six people were injured in a shooting in the downtown area near the Tennessee Aquarium Saturday night. Two of the six victims are believed to have life-threatening injuries, according to the police.
And in Brooklyn, New York, rumors of an active shooter at the Barclays Center, following a highly anticipated boxing match sent fans into a panicked frenzy that injured 18 people and sent nine people to local hospitals.
Americans are on edge.
The next few months will likely be very challenging for law enforcement, especially in big cities where gun violence is already unusually high.
A report from the CDC says firearm killings jumped 35% between 2019 and 2020.
Police departments are hoping to level the surge by increasing patrols and targeting known problem spots.
Time will tell if the pressure from police will lead to a positive turnaround in a country currently overwhelmed with crime and gun violence.
In New York City, the mayor and police commissioner say they have a plan to handle gun violence and they’re working it. One way the mayor is trying to get at this issue of gun violence is now using officers in plain clothes to patrol in those areas with high crime.
So far the number of people shot here in the city is down by six percent compared to this same time last year.
During his visit to Uvalde, Texas, President Joe Biden was faced with chants of “do something” as he departed the church service, and Biden pledged, “We will.”