USA: Teenager girl killed, five injured in shooting at party near college in California

In another instance of mass shooting, a 17-year-old girl was killed while five were injured at a large party near a college campus in Chico, Northern California on Saturday.

The police stated they received the distress call in the wee hours of Saturday and the officers were dispatched to the spot at 3:26 am. The party was reportedly taking place on the 1000 block of Columbus Avenue just off the campus of California State University Chico.

According to Chico Police Chief Billy Aldridge, officers were first dispatched to a different party around 12:27 am after receiving reports that several rounds from a firearm were discharged.

A fight had occurred at the party and a suspect had been asked to leave before the officers arrived. Two individuals in the party were hospitalised after being assaulted by the suspect, added Aldridge.

A few hours later, officers were called to a different party, the one near Columbus Avenue and found a person matching the description of the suspect from the earlier incident and arrested him for possession of a gun and reckless discharge.

However, less than 30 minutes later, just before 3:30 am, police were called back to the venue, only to find six people had been shot, with a 17-year-old girl succumbing to the injuries.

All the victims ranged in age from 17 to 21 years old and were taken to local hospitals. The five people wounded have sustained non-life-threatening injuries and will likely return to normalcy in some time. The police have withheld the names of the victims as the investigation is ongoing.

Aldridge called the shooting an "isolated incident" with "no ongoing threat to the community". He did not comment on whether the shooter had any motive or if they had identified a suspect or suspects.

The incident came on the same day as when nine people were shot dead at the Allen Premium Outlets mall in Allen, Texas. City police chief Brian Harvey said that the gunman, who authorities believed acted alone, was killed by a police officer after he began firing outside the mall

More shootings than days in 2023

The United States has witnessed over 190 mass shootings so far this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive. The statistic becomes all the more damning when one realises there have been more mass shootings than days in 2023.The archive tracked more than 647 mass shootings in 2022 while the number stood at 690 in 2021.

(With inputs from agencies)

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