JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – As temperatures start to warm up across the country and a lot more people are out and about, there are some safety tips to keep in mind when out at large gatherings.
These safety tips come after three separate shootings left several people dead and others injured over Father’s Day weekend.
The first shooting happened at a splash pad in suburban Detroit where several families were spending the day when suddenly, a man walked up and started firing 28 shots.
Nine people were shot including an 8-year-old boy, who was shot in the head and is in critical condition along with his mother who was shot in the stomach and leg, according to officials.
The other six individuals are in stable condition.
Police were able to track the shooter down at a home where they found him dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
RELATED | Shooting in Detroit suburb leaves ‘numerous wounded victims,’ authorities say
Moments later, a shooting happened at a Juneteenth celebration in Round Rock, Texas.
An altercation broke out between two groups during the event, someone pulled out a gun and started shooting, according to officials at a news conference.
As a result, two people were killed and several others were injured. Officers at the celebration began rendering aid to those victims.
No one has been arrested in that shooting.
On Sunday, seven people were shot in Massachusetts at what officials describe as an unplanned large gathering.
Six of the individuals were taken to the hospital and one was taken by air, according to officials. Five of the victims are in stable condition and two are in critical condition.
Duval County saw a similar story back in March when three separate shootings broke out in Jacksonville Beach on St. Patrick’s Day.
TIMELINE | St. Patrick’s Day shootings in Jacksonville Beach
Police initially put out an “active shooter situation” warning locking down the area for hours.
One person died and three others were injured.
News4JAX spoke to our Crime and Safety Analyst Tom Hackney about what goes into solving investigations like these.
“It can honestly be difficult because if somebody goes in and does these things and doesn’t talk about it, you know that that makes it more difficult to interview. Luckily, in today’s world, there’s a lot of surveillance out there in a large crowd like this, you know, typically you will find somebody that’s caught the incident on camera. So, from a law enforcement standpoint, that’s a good thing that you can maybe get a picture of the suspect and start working back from it,” Hackey said.
Hackney encouraged people to have an exit plan.
“Keep your heads up, basically be aware of your surroundings. And that’s really true most all the time, but especially, you know, nowadays... just really be aware of your surroundings,” Hackney said. “If you’re there with people, talk about it for you know, maybe two or three minutes before you go into whatever venue you’re going into, kind of be aware of, ‘Okay, we could stand in here and maybe if something happened here’s a quick way that we could get out still enjoy the festivities.’'