Halloween Weekend Shootings Near College Communities Leave 3 Dead and 30 Wounded

Three people were killed and 30 others were wounded in at least six separate shootings near major university campuses across the United States during the Halloween weekend, according to a tally by the New York Post. The shootings ran from Saturday night into the early hours of Sunday, as large crowds gathered for Halloween parties, homecoming celebrations, and football rivalry games.

In Newark, Delaware, at least six people were wounded when a gunman opened fire on a packed downtown street near the University of Delaware at about 11 p.m. Saturday, sending costumed students running, the Post reported. Near Michigan State University in East Lansing, a gunman wearing a Michael Myers mask wounded one person, according to Metro Detroit News, and a second person was wounded in a separate shooting at about 12:30 a.m. Sunday. It was not clear whether those two shootings were related.

Boulder, Birmingham and the two Bloomingtons

At the University of Colorado in Boulder, one 19-year-old student was killed and another student was wounded by a gunman at a large house party attended by hundreds of students at about 11:30 p.m., according to police cited by the Post. Two suspects have been identified, and police said they believe the men tried to force their way into the party about 90 minutes after officers shut it down and told partygoers to go home.

In Birmingham, Alabama, one person was killed and eight were wounded, one critically, in multiple shootings after the 85th Magic City Classic football game Saturday night between Alabama A&M and Alabama State. Police Chief Michael Pickett described the night as “two senseless acts of violence,” after chaotic scenes during a tailgate outside Legion Field shortly before 8 p.m., according to AL.com. One person has been detained in connection with the shooting.

Near Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington-Normal, Illinois, a 19-year-old woman was killed and seven others were wounded, one of them critically. Two Illinois Wesleyan students and an Illinois State University student were among the injured, according to WGLT. In Bloomington, Indiana, at least seven people, four men and three women aged 17 to 27, were injured in a shooting on Kirkwood Avenue near the Indiana University campus at about 1:30 a.m. Sunday. Officers heard multiple gunshots after an argument in a large crowd of Halloween revelers in the bar district, Deputy Chief of Police Ryan Pedigo told WTHR. None of the victims are students or from Bloomington, police said. An 18-year-old was taken into custody, and an AR-15-style handgun was found at the scene, along with an AK-47-style pistol found on one of the victims.

Indiana University was celebrating homecoming and an overtime win over Minnesota earlier on Saturday, in addition to the Halloween festivities. Police in each city said their investigations were continuing, and no single connection between the shootings has been reported.

Reporting based on coverage by the New York Post, with local reporting cited from AL.com, WGLT, WTHR, and Metro Detroit News.