In Washington D.C. over the weekend, 11-year-old Davon McNeal was shot and killed while he watched fireworks and enjoyed a cookout with his family.
"There was a group of about five adult males that started shooting up the area. As a result of that shooting, an 11-year-old boy was struck. The 11-year-old was taken to a local hospital," D.C. Police Chief Peter Newsham said from the scene Saturday night.
Preliminary info: Tragically an 11 year-old boy was shot in the head and killed in Southeast, DC shortly after 9:20 pm tonight.
— DC Police Department #StayHomeDC (@DCPoliceDept) July 5, 2020
Have info? Call (202) 727-9099/text 50411 https://t.co/kp3J0UDFkk
Sad to report an 11-year-old boy was was killed in SE DC last night, shot in the head. @DCPoliceDept Chief said a group of ~5 adult males started shooting near Cedar St. SE Sat. night.
— Stephanie Ramirez (@RamirezReports) July 5, 2020
Around 9:20p
Still a heavy police presence at the Frederick Douglass Garden Apts this morning. pic.twitter.com/xkcGi2waJQ
Washington D.C. police are offering up to $25,000 to anyone who has information about the criminals who drove by and pulled the trigger.
John Ayala, tells @fox5dc he’s 11-year-old Davon McNeal’s paternal grandfather. Ayala says his grandson dreamed of being in the NFL & that everyone’s just tired of shootings in the community. He also mentions the Black Lives Matter protests in part of his interview. @fox5dc pic.twitter.com/ajrX7q5YkO
— Stephanie Ramirez (@RamirezReports) July 5, 2020
In Atlanta, an eight-year-old girl was killed.
In an impassioned press conference Sunday night, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms issued a full-throated call for citizens to stop "shooting each other up on our streets," after an 8-year-old girl was shot and killed on the Fourth of July near a Wendy's that has become a flashpoint of anti-police Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests in the city.
Bottoms, a Democrat who is considered a potential running mate for Joe Biden, made the remarks as she fought through tears -- and the nation endured a new bout of urban carnage. Sixty-three people were injured and 17 killed in Chicago, including two children, over the weekend; and in New York City, 44 were hurt and at least six killed.
Meanwhile over in Chicago 16 people were killed, most of them young, and 69 others were shot.
Chicago police say that 16 people, including a young girl, are dead and at least 69 others have been wounded in shootings across the city over the Fourth of July weekend.
Multiple fatal shootings were reported across the city early Sunday morning, including in the 1000 block of East 132nd Street. According to Chicago police, multiple people became involved in an argument with another man before leaving a parking lot and walking into a residence.
A 20-year-old man was also hit in the left leg, and is in fair condition at Christ Hospital.
Just an hour later in the 1500 block of South Millard Avenue, a total of six people were shot while setting off fireworks, according to police.
A 20-year-old woman was hit in the head and stomach when a person in a white vehicle began firing shots at the group. She was taken to Mount Sinai, where she was pronounced dead.
At least three of the other victims were in critical condition after the shooting. A 30-year-old man was shot in the left shoulder and the knee, while a 27-year-old man was shot in the right abdomen. A 28-year-old man was shot in the left shoulder and leg, and all three were taken to Mount Sinai, police said.
This post has been updated with additional information