Consecutive shootings in U.S. kill 11, injure dozens

Students from Washington local high schools demonstrate for stricter gun control outside the White House in Washington D.C., the United States, on Feb. 21, 2018. (Xinhua/Ting Shen)

Three consecutive shootings happened on Friday and Saturday in the United States have killed at least 11 people and injured dozens.

WASHINGTON, May 7 (Xinhua) -- Three consecutive shootings happened on Friday and Saturday in the United States have killed at least 11 people and injured dozens.

In a shooting at a Texas outlet mall on Saturday afternoon, at least nine people were killed and seven others injured.

The shooter, who authorities believe was acting alone, was dead at the scene, according to the Collin County Sheriff's Office.

Allen Fire Chief Jonathan Boyd said that among the people sent to hospitals, "three are in critical surgery, and four are stable." Local media said the wounded included a five-year-old child.

Joseph Gallagher, a store manager at the mall, told Xinhua that he saw rounds of bullets "bounce off the pillar in front of our store" and witnessed the gunman being shot dead with blood hitting the walls.

The mall's Operations Administrator Joshua W. Barnwell told local media FOX 4 Dallas that he heard at least 30 gunshots and saw around 60 rounds of ammunition on the ground.

"The White House is closely monitoring the situation and is in touch with law enforcement and local officials to offer support," U.S. President Joe Biden said in a statement.

People march to the Capitol to protest for a ban on assault weapons, in Washington, D.C., the United States, on April 17, 2023. (Photo by Aaron Schwartz/Xinhua)

In a shooting early Saturday morning at a house party in the U.S. state of California, a teenage girl was killed, and five others were injured.

The shooting occurred around 3:26 a.m. (1026 GMT) in Chico, a city in northern California, said the Chico Police Department at a news briefing streamed on its Facebook page Saturday morning.

Chico Police patrol officers were dispatched to a residence on the 1000 block of Columbus Avenue in the city and found six individuals between the ages of 17 and 21 had been shot.

The deceased victim was a 17-year-old girl. According to the department, the other victims are stable and have non-life-threatening injuries.

Officials said the incident appeared isolated, with no ongoing threat to the community. Police are still investigating the incident.

In another shooting on Friday night, one person was killed and six others were injured at a restaurant in Mississippi.

The local Sun Herald newspaper said that there were about 200 people in the restaurant when the gunman ran past security at the entrance.

"The person who did the shooting wasn't a customer," owner of the restaurant Brittany Alexander said.

Deadly shootings have become commonplace in the United States. According to the Gun Violence Archive, a nonprofit group, at least 14,671 people have died from gun violence in the United States this year.