A man firing a rifle killed shoppers at an Indiana mall’s food court. A gunfight at a Houston home killed four people.
A stand-up act by the comedian Craig Robinson in North Carolina didn’t even begin before clubgoers fled from a man with a gun.
In Las Vegas, the specter of gunfire at the MGM Grand sent the crowded casino into pandemonium over a panic that started with a shattered glass door.
As gamblers fled for the exits at the MGM and others ducked behind overturned card tables, professional poker player Daniel Negreanu was trampled in what he called a sad reflection of an anxious America gripped by gun violence.
“On the surface, other people would look at it and think it was an overreaction,” Negreanu said. “But it’s warranted … because we live in a state of fear now.”
It was a false alarm in Las Vegas, but the weekend’s gun violence left more than a half-dozen dead or wounded, including a 12-year-old, two 16-year-olds and an 18-year-old.
Fear of shooters has left more people on edge and the shootings — or panic over the fear of them — were just the latest to hit America in 2022 after a school, church, grocery store and a July Fourth parade in Highland Park, Ill., all become murder scenes in recent months.
In addition, authorities released a damning report that criticized all levels of law enforcement for a chaotic and feckless response on May 24 to a gunman who killed 19 students and two teachers inside Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.
Here is a look at some of what happened this weekend:
GREENWOOD, IND.
Three people died and two were injured after a man with a rifle started shooting at the Greenwood Park Mall on Sunday evening. An armed civilian shot and killed him, police said.
The shooter began firing after leaving a bathroom at the suburban Indianapolis mall shortly before it closed, Greenwood police Chief James Ison said Monday.
Witnesses described panicked mallgoers fleeing.
Killed were a married couple — Pedro Pineda, 56, and Rosa Mirian Rivera de Pineda, 37 — and Victor Gomez, 30, according to coroners’ offices.
A 22-year-old who was legally carrying a firearm killed the gunman, stopping the shooter “almost as soon as he began,” Ison said.
“Many more people would have died last night if not for a responsible armed citizen,” Ison said.
The three people who died were in addition to the 20-year-old shooter. Police did not yet know a motive.
Ison said the man used an AR-15-style rifle during the shooting, firing 24 rounds within two minutes. Investigators found another one and magazines with more than 100 rounds of ammunition in the bathroom. They also found a handgun on the shooter.
HOUSTON
Four people died after a gunfight at an apartment complex in Houston late Saturday.
The Harris County sheriff’s office said witnesses reported seeing several people, including the victims, shooting at each other after they began arguing.
Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said those killed included two 16-year-olds, a 19-year-old and a 25-year-old.
The sheriff’s office did not identify the victims, a motive or a suspect.
CHARLOTTE, N.C.
Patrons waiting for the show to start at The Comedy Zone fled on Saturday night when a man waved a gun, told everyone to leave and then fired it in the empty venue, according to police and witnesses.
No one was injured. The man, identified by police as Omar McCombs, pulled the gun before actor and comedian Craig Robinson came out to perform.
About 50 customers had been inside.
McCombs, 36, was taken into custody and faces several charges, including assault. Police did not disclose a motive.
LAS VEGAS
People fled and upturned poker tables in a panic over the mistaken belief that gunfire had erupted at the MGM Grand casino hotel late Saturday night.
Police found no evidence of gunfire; just a shattered glass door in the valet area.
Video posted to social media showed people scrambling across the Strip, including one video that showed officers approaching with guns drawn and lowered as several people hurried in the opposite direction.
Negreanu said his wrist was bloodied and injured in the stampede of people fleeing.
