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White Township joined the likes of Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Harrisburg as communities struck by a mass shooting when gunfire erupted early Sunday morning at a party at the Chevy Chase Community Center.
One person died and at least eight others were wounded in a chaotic scene that state police described as a mass shooting. Victims ranged in age from 18 to 23. A 22-year-old Pittsburgh man died at the scene.
It was the 540th mass shooting in the U.S. this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive. The Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit describes a mass shooting as one in which there are at least four victims shot — either injured or killed — not including the shooter.
Other groups that track mass shootings use different definitions. For instance, the Associated Press/USA Today/Northeastern University Mass Killing Database characterizes a mass shooting as one in which at least four people are killed, excluding the attacker. According to that metric, there have been 567 mass killings since 2006.
Regardless of how and who defines such incidents, putting together the puzzle pieces in such an investigation requires methodical attention, state police Lt. Col. George Bivens said.
Evidence is collected inside and outside of scenes, plus evidence from electronic devices takes time to recover. There are dozens of interviews to conduct and surveillance video or images to track down.
“This is a very complex and spread out crime scene that we continue to work through,” he said of the scene in White Township. “Thousands of pieces of evidence have been and continue to be collected.”
Pennsylvania has experienced 32 mass shootings in 2023, according to the Gun Violence Archive. Combined, 30 people have died and 124 others have been injured.
Using the Northeastern University database measure, Pennsylvania has had one mass killing: a July 3 incident in Philadelphia in which five people were killed and two others were injured.
Pittsburgh has had two shootings — on Aug. 9 and another on Feb. 14 outside Westinghouse Academy — that qualify as a mass shooting event, according to the Gun Violence Archive. Jeannette, Munhall and now Indiana have had one apiece. A July 15 shooting in Mt. Oliver was added after two juveniles with gunshot wounds arrived a hospital by private vehicle.
Philadelphia leads all areas with 18 mass shootings under the Gun Violence definition. Harrisburg has had two. Lancaster, Lebanon, Chester, Upper Darby, Hazelton and Allentown have had one apiece.
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