Gun violence is rampant in the United States and children and adolescents also suffer from it. On January 1, 2023, just the first day of the new year, there were many shooting incidents that caused minor casualties in many places in the United States.
At about 6:30 pm on January 1, Jarvis Watts, a 9-year-old boy from Chicago, was shot and killed in his home and died after being hospitalized. At the time, the Jarvis house was hosting a New Year’s party and there were many people in the house, but then shots rang out.
Chicago Police Officer Sean Joyce: There was an extended family in the residence at the time with multiple adults and children.
The Cook County coroner’s office, where Chicago is located, said Jarvis died after being shot multiple times. Chicago police said they spoke to everyone who was at the scene but are still unable to determine what happened. Police did not say whether Jarvis had a gun at the time of the incident, whether other children pulled the trigger or who owned the gun involved.
On the same day, around 1:00 pm on January 1, a shooting occurred near Washington Park in Chicago, which left one dead and three wounded: the victims were all teenagers between the ages of 14 and 17 . A shooting also occurred in Charlotte, North Carolina earlier in the 1st: a child was found dead at the scene and the related investigation is still ongoing.
More than 6,100 minors will be killed or killed by gun violence in the United States in 2022
Gun violence has become the “number one killer” of American children. According to data from the “Gun Violence File” in the United States, in the past 2022, 6,137 children aged 17 and younger were injured or injured by gun violence, the highest record since the related statistics began. Of these, 1,665 minors died in various gun-related incidents and another 4,472 minors were injured.
Families of US shooting victims complain: ‘Security situation in America is worse than in other countries’
Behind the cold numbers are sad new lives and families. Parents who lost their children in the 2022 shooting recently complained in an interview that the damage caused by gun violence has been hard to heal for a long time.
On May 30, 2022, 16-year-old Andrea de los Santos was shot and killed at a party in Philadelphia. Andrea moved to the United States from the Dominican Republic with her family. Her mother once thought her family would be safe after arriving in the United States, but the reality was not what she thought.
Carmen Esteves, mother of shooting victim Andrea: I never thought I would lose my daughter here. I thought this was a very safe country, but it obviously wasn’t. It wasn’t safe here. , which is worse than any other country in the world. Here anyone can own a gun.
Andrea’s stepfather, John Amorim, said he didn’t want his daughter’s death to become just a statistic for Philadelphia or the country.
John Amorim, stepfather of shooting victim Andrea: It’s horrible and I think it’s inhumane. Like I said before, you don’t feel that sadness when things don’t happen to you.
Families of US shooting victims complain: ‘The world is moving forward, but we are at a standstill’
On May 24, 2022, 19 children and two teachers, including 10-year-old Lexi Rubio, were killed in the deadliest shooting in the United States in nearly a decade at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. Lexi’s parents are still grieving the loss of her daughter.
Kimberly Rubio, mother of shooter Lexie Rubio: The holidays have been rough and it seemed like the world was moving and we were standing still.
Felix Rubio, father of shooting victim Lexie Rubio: “I don’t think we’ll ever recover from this trauma. People are hoping we can come out, but it’s tough.
Gun violence in the United States is a persistent disease. According to Vox News, the reason the problem of gun violence in the United States is “unique and persistent” is because the concept of gun ownership is deeply ingrained in American politics, culture and law. The US political process has so far proved incapable of changing this normality.
Kimberly Rubio, mother of shooting victim Lexie Rubio: The American people want change, and we need to make that clear to our leaders. If we can truly make a difference, it’s not for us, it’s for Lexie.
