Multiple Shootings and Explosions Rock the US, Leaving Multiple Dead and Injured
A chaotic night in the United States saw multiple violent incidents, including a mass shooting in Queens, New York, and a terrorist attack in New Orleans, Louisiana, as well as an explosion in Las Vegas, Nevada.
In Queens, a group of men opened fire on a crowd of people waiting outside a music venue, leaving 10 people aged 16 to 20 injured, but not in life-threatening condition. The shooting, which occurred at around 11:18pm local time, saw approximately 30 shots fired before the suspects fled the scene on foot and later escaped in a vehicle with out-of-state plates.
The New York Police Department is investigating a possible gang involvement in the shooting, and has ruled out a terrorist attack. The incident is the latest in a series of violent events in the city.
In a separate incident, a 42-year-old man, identified as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a US Army veteran from Texas, drove a rented Ford F-150 Lightning into a crowd on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, killing 15 people and injuring over 35. Jabbar, who was killed in a subsequent shootout with police, had a flag of the Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) found in his vehicle, and explosives were discovered at the scene, leading the FBI to investigate the attack as a terrorist incident.
Later, a Tesla Cybertruck exploded in front of the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas, killing the driver and injuring seven others. The vehicle, rented through the Turo app in Colorado, was found to contain firecrackers and gas canisters, suggesting the explosion was intentional. Authorities are investigating the incident as a possible act of terrorism and are exploring possible connections to the New Orleans attack, given similarities in the rental methods and timing of the incidents.