2020 was a year in which homicide rates surged all over America. If New Year’s Day is any indication, we may be facing another bloody year. We are some of the worst acts of violence from New Year’s Day 2021.
Fort Smith, Arkansas saw a mass shooting with seven victims.
Matthew Steward, 26, allegedly opened fire on a crowd inside the Wave Event Center at 4:00 AM. The venue hosts rap and hip hop concerts. He has been arrested and charged with a first-degree terroristic act, first-degree battery, and five counts of second-degree battery. Police also say a second person fired a gun, but the context has not yet been explained. Seven people received gunshot wounds. All are expected to survive.
Local authorities are now going after the venue for possible health code violations.
Sacramento, California saw five people shot, at least two fatally.
At 3:00 AM, two people were shot on a street corner. A fifteen-year-old female victim was injured and a male victim was killed. At 6:30 AM, three people were shot near a park. A male victim was killed and two female victims were rushed to the hospital in critical condition.
No other information has been released. Sacramento had 41 homicides in 2020, a 21% increase over 2019.
Olive Branch, Mississippi saw a triple murder.
Ivan Rodriguez, 26, allegedly shot and killed three people in a residential neighborhood. Police say the perp lives in Cordova, Tennessee.
The victims are Tommi Lynn Carrier, 40, Tyler Glen Liles, 33, John Lennon Sutherland, 30.
Olive Branch was once known as a safe city, but crime from nearby Memphis has been spilling into the area.
Sioux City, Iowa saw one person killed and four others injured during a mass shooting.
According to local police, a hail of gunfire hit a crowded residential home where a party had been going on. The gunfire came from multiple different guns. An 18-year-old female victim was killed and four others hospitalized with gunshot wounds.
Most of the non-injured fled the scene before police arrived. Police are pleading for witnesses to come forward.
Arlington, Texas saw a four-year-old killed during a party.
Police say Zantyler Foster-Hooks, 21, was dancing at a residence and allegedly decided to fire his gun off inside the house. A four-year-old boy was killed. Foster-Hooks was one of two people that took the victim to a hospital, but then he fled from the police. Another person told the police that the bullet came from outside of the house, but that claim was quickly debunked. So far, Zantyler Foster-Hooks been charged with manslaughter.
Detroit, Michigan saw six people shot, three fatally.
Three people were shot on a street corner as they were leaving a party. One 27-year-old female victim was killed, two male victims were injured. Police have released photos of a black Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Van Limo that the gunman fled in. No other details have been released.
An unidentified black male with dreadlocks knocked on the door of a 31-year-old male victim. He shot and killed the victim when he opened the door. Police believe the pair had been in an argument hours earlier.
A 27-year-old female shot and killed a 31-year-old male during some sort of altercation on a street corner. It is being treated as a homicide. No other details have been released.
Another male victim was injured when someone pulled out his handgun during a fistfight and shot the other person.
