The U.S. saw 12 mass shootings across the nation this past weekend

By Setareh Jalali

A series of mass shootings over the weekend left at least 11 people dead and another 69 injured, according to CNN.  

According to data from the Gun Violence Archive (GVA), there were at least 12 mass shootings between Friday night and Sunday. The GVA, a nonprofit, nonpartisan research group, defines a mass shooting as a shooting incident in which four or more people are injured or killed, excluding the shooter.  

The shootings took place across eight states — Illinois, New Jersey, Ohio, Indiana, South Carolina, Virginia, Texas and Minnesota. 

A 5-year-old boy was one of four people injured in a shooting at a Texas sports complex in San Angelo Saturday, San Angelo Police Department spokesperson Tracy Piatt-Fox told CNN. 

The child and three adults were treated for minor injuries, she said. 

So far in 2021, more than 7,500 people have died from gun violence across the US, according to the GVA. There’s also been a 23% uptick in deaths from gun violence this year.  

There have been 160 shootings from Jan. 1 to April 26 in which four or more people were injured or killed, compared to just over 90 during the same period in 2020.   

Experts have said the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on mental and physical health, social services and more are likely to have played a significant role in the uptick of gun sales and shootings this year.