Holiday weekend no respite for fatal shootings in US

Gun violence did not take a holiday in the US over the weekend.

As the country mourned its war dead on the three-day Memorial Day weekend, and as Americans gathered with family and friends for the unofficial start of the summer season, more than 30 people died in shootings across the country, according to news reports from various media outlets.

Data from the Gun Violence Archive in Washington, which tracks mass shootings and other gun incidents, showed that 17 people died in shootings on Monday alone, as of 8 pm EDT.

"Things have gotten so bad that everybody is getting more rational about it," US President Joe Biden said Monday at the White House, suggesting that he could draw more Republicans in his effort to stem gun violence.

The wave of violence unfolded less than a week after a mass shooting May 24 at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, in which 19 children and two teachers were killed. On May 14, 10 people were killed in a racially-motivated mass shooting at a supermarket in a predominantly black neighborhood in Buffalo, New York.

The US Department of Justice said Sunday it would review law enforcement's response at the behest of Uvalde's mayor.

On Monday in Uvalde, police removed school barricades to allow public access to a makeshift memorial containing dozens of teddy bears and hundreds of bouquets. Mourners gathered in front of photos of the slain children and teachers.

The actor Matthew McConaughey paid a visit to Uvalde, his hometown, on Monday.

McConaughey in a May 25 social media post described gun violence in America as "an epidemic we can control" and urged politicians to realize "we all know we can do better".

"We are failing to be responsible for the rights our freedoms grant us," he said. "We cannot exhale once again, make excuses, and accept these tragic realities as the status quo."

Some observers pointed out that while the more spectacular mass shootings sadly dominate reports, smaller such crimes garner less attention.

"It's important to recognize that people are dying every single day from gun violence that doesn't make national headlines." Melody McFadden, a volunteer with Moms Demand Action and member of Everytown's Veterans Advisory Council, told BuzzFeed News.

March For Our Lives spokesperson Noah Lumbantobing told BuzzFeed: "We need to be paying attention and taking action 365 days a year in order for this to end. Otherwise, we'll be right back here the next time, and kids will continue to suffer, people will continue to suffer, and communities will continue to suffer."

Philadelphia, Chicago and Baltimore sustained multiple shootings over the weekend.

In Chicago by Monday evening, 42 people had been shot — eight fatally — over the weekend as the city's police department canceled officers' days off ahead of time, the Sun-Times reported.

In Philadelphia, 13 people were killed, and 12 injured, according to CBS Philadelphia.

In the Wissinoming neighborhood, a father, and his son, 9, were killed in a drive-by shooting, according to NBC Philadelphia.

In Baltimore, shots were fired in an amphitheater in the Inner Harbor on Saturday evening, killing a 17-year-old boy, The Baltimore Sun reported.

"I am sickened that this plague continues to grip our city. I will continue to push every public safety agency to do more, but it will also require all of us to collectively say enough is enough, that we're not going to accept or allow violence in our city," Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said.

In Tennessee, several teenagers were injured in a shooting in downtown Chattanooga on Saturday night. Two of those wounded are "very, very critical", Police Chief Celeste Murphy told reporters.

Mayor Tim Kelly said at a news conference Sunday: "Six teenagers were shot last night in what we believe was an altercation between other teenagers. And once again, I'm standing here in front of you talking about our community's youth getting shot."

In New York City, two people were killed in shootings.

Donovan Davy, 45, a longtime US Transportation Safety Administration officer at John F. Kennedy International Airport, was fatally shot in Brooklyn while running a quick errand, NBC New York reported.

"I got this feeling, like let me just call my brother, because he was taking a little bit too long," said his sister, Poshana Davy.

Another shooting victim died at an apartment complex in Brownsville, Brooklyn, the New York Post reported. Five other people were shot in the city over the weekend.

In Oklahoma, authorities said a 26-year-old man is in custody after one person was killed and seven injured in a mass shooting Saturday night at an outdoor festival in Taft. Skyler Buckner turned himself in to the Muskogee County sheriff's office Sunday, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation said.

OSBI said that shooting victims at the Memorial Day event in Taft ranged in age from 9 to 56. A 39-year-old woman was killed, OSBI said.

Roughly 1,500 people had gathered at the outdoor festival to eat meals from food trucks and celebrate the start of the holiday weekend, BuzzFeed reported. Shortly after midnight, shots rang out after a possible argument, as panicked crowds ran for cover.

"Bullets were literally flying everywhere," Jasmayne Hill told the Tulsa World newspaper, describing how she dived to the floor of her food truck.

In Memphis, Tennessee, 13 people were shot, one fatally, in eight different shootings, Fox 13 Memphis reported. Eight of the victims were in critical condition.

In downtown Pittsburgh, an 18-monrh-old boy was killed in a drive-by shooting on Sunday. A 26-year-old suspect was arrested Monday in connection with the shooting, WPXI reported.

In Atlanta, one person was killed at graduation party, where more than 200 teenagers were celebrating when a gunman opened fire, Fox 5 Atlanta reported.

Reuters contributed to this story.