Authorities across US grapple with a rash of violence in final days of spring

By MORGAN LEE
Associated Press

Communities across the country are grappling with a rash of violence in the final days of spring that included at least four mass shootings in one weekend. A lone gunman opened fire at a splash pad in suburban Detroit. Seven people were shot at a “pop-up” party organized via social media in Methuen, Massachusetts, and eight people were shot with two deaths during a Juneteenth celebration in Round Rock, Texas. The rash of violence is a counterpoint to FBI data that indicate a sharp drop in violent crime nationwide earlier this year. Experts says summer weather typically brings with it a seasonal uptick in violence.