WASHINGTON: Two peo­ple were killed and six others wounded in a shooting at a block party on Saturday in the US city of Memphis, local police said.

Two people were found deceased at the scene, and one of the six wounded “remains in critical condi­tion” at an area hospital, the Memphis Police Department wrote on social media platform X.

The shooting occurred at an unpermitted block party with about 200 to 300 people near Orange Mound Park in the sout­hern state of Tennessee, the depart­ment said on X earlier.

Gun violence is common in the United States, a country where there are more firearms than people. Attempts to clamp down on gun rights are always met with stiff political resistance.

The United States has recorded 120 mass shoo­tings this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive, a nongovern­mental organization that defines a mass shooting as four or more people wounded or killed. Last year ended with a total of 656 such shootings.

“During the follow-up investigation, we learned that there were 8 total victims, with two of those being deceased on the scene,” Memphis police said in an updated statement posted on X. Police had earlier said that 16 people were shot.

“This was a block party that was occurring with­out a permit”, police said. The block party had about 200-300 people in atten­dance. At least two suspects are being sought, CBS News said, citing Memphis Police interim chief Cerelyn Davis.

Published in Dawn, April 22nd, 2024