The holiday weekend saw a spike in violence with law enforcement reporting at least 233 people were killed and 618 injured by gun violence in more than 500 shootings across the country, according to the latest data compiled by the Gun Violence Archive.
Chicago alone reported 104 shootings over the weekend, including among its victims 13 children and two cops, while officials in New York City say police responded to 26 gun-related incidents.
On the west coast, Oakland, Calif., police handled seven shootings and two deaths on the Fourth of July in what the police chief called “12 hours of nonstop chaos.”
Chicago Alderman Anthony Napolitano reacted to the violent weekend by calling his city a "war zone." Chicago's Mayor Lori Lightfoot blamed lax gun laws and systemic problems for the uptick.
"I believe that violence is a manifestation of systemic problems, and it's a public health crisis," she said in an interview with a local PBS station. "When you see, in way too many neighborhoods, a lack of jobs, a lack of investment – these are historic, decades-long problems."
Lightfoot added, "We know that federally licensed gun dealers are selling to criminals and straw purchasers," she said. "…We know that because of our proximity to states like Indiana, Wisconsin and Michigan that … you can go across the border into these states, and if you've got the cash, you can buy literally military-grade weapons of any quantity and bring them back to Chicago."
But Chicago wasn't alone. More than 50 juveniles were involved in a fight broken up by Atlanta Police Sunday. According to police records, a 14-year-old died in the melee.
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Beyond shootings, an NHL goalie was killed while relaxing in a hot tub in suburban Detroit over the Fourth of July weekend when a firework exploded toward his chest.