Two people were killed and four of nine people injured were in critical condition after a pickup truck drove “at a high rate of speed” shortly before 9 p.m. Thursday into a group of people celebrating the Fourth of July holiday in New York City, authorities said.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams said in a press briefing late Thursday that the driver of a gray Ford F-150 pickup truck that drove onto the sidewalk and into the “crowded” Corlears Hook Park, was found to be “under the influence.”
The New York Police Department (NYPD) has kicked off an investigation, but reiterated that at this point in the probe, “we do not feel that this is a terrorism-related event,” and instead, investigators believe “alcohol played a role in this.”
Fire Department personnel and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) staff cooperated to assist the victims, “in order to lift the vehicle off of the victims.” The extent of injuries that the other non-critical victims suffered are still being evaluated.
Thursday night’s incident comes as shootings occurred in other parts of the United States during Independence Day, including the shooting of 27-year-old police officer Jamieson Ritter, who was serving a warrant for felonious assault in Cleveland.
In a residential home in Chicago, two women aged 42 and 44 were shot and killed over a personal dispute, local police said. In the same home, three minor boys were wounded in the shooting.
Over in Shreveport, Louisiana, a 19-year-old, identified by authorities as Deontrell D. Jackson, was found with a fatal gunshot wound to his chest in a driveway following reports of a shooting early Thursday. Local KSLA reported that Jackson’s death was the 34th homicide case in Shreveport so far in 2024.
In West Philadelphia, police discovered a man “with gunshot wounds throughout his body” Thursday morning. The victim was in critical condition and transported to a hospital where he was being treated. No weapon was recovered nor were any arrests made.
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