Dozens Shot During Juneteenth Celebrations

Dozens of people were shot across the country during Juneteenth celebrations over the weekend.

Nearly two dozen people were shot, one fatally, in an Illinois parking lot Saturday just after midnight, and two others were injured in a shooting at an Asheville, N.C., festival the same evening. The shootings took place at Juneteenth holiday events marking the end of slavery.

Gunfire erupted in a Willowbrook, Ill., strip mall parking lot where a "large gathering of people was happening," according to Eric Swanson, the deputy chief of the sheriff’s office. Twenty-three people were shot and one person died from their injuries. No suspects were in custody as of Sunday.

The North Carolina shooting resulted in the arrest of a 16-year-old. Two juveniles were injured in the incident, which took place at a downtown Juneteenth festival.

The shootings are the latest example of rising crime in the country. Illinois suffers from violent crime rates higher than the national average and in 2022 saw its violent crime rate rise for the second consecutive year.

North Carolina's violent crime rate also increased last year and sits above the national average. But the state's Democrats are focused on addressing the "catastrophe" of Israel's founding.

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