Opinion | Mass shootings have taken the lives of far too many

The following is a list of individuals who have been killed in mass shootings thus far in 2023.

Charles Earl Westbrook in Mifflin Township, Ohio. Daniel Howard in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Damonata Harris and Abdul Hakeen Van Croskey in Ocala, Florida. Monique Duncan and Maurice Moore, in Clinton, Maryland. Adele Jones in Chicago. Benjie Byers in Washington, D.C. Journee Carroll in Dumfries, Virginia. Deanta Dorsey in Baltimore. Tausha Haight, Gail Earl, a 17-year-old, a 12-year-old, a 7-year-old, another 7-year-old and a 4-year-old in Enoch, Utah. A 50-year-old and a 53-year-old in New Orleans. Queidin Flores, Stanley Chachagua and Cesar Aaron in Dallas. A 28-year-old in San Francisco. Athalia Crayton, Kasim Crayton, a 16-year-old and a 10-year-old in High Point, North Carolina. Kyle Roger Hager, a 13-year-old and a 10-year-old in Lee Township, Michigan. Kaitlyn Jenkins and Quantasia Grant in Huntsville, Alabama. Christopher Bautista, Miguel Delgado and Miguel Santos in Philadelphia. Angelic Gonzalez, Miguel Gonzalez, Jayden Baez and Anthony Boothe in Cleveland. Dontravis Byrd in Homestead, Florida. Zayveon Johnson, Vasshawn Reeves and a 17-year-old in Rockford, Illinois. Amariah Pridgen in Houston. Eladio Parras Jr., Marcos Parraz, Jennifer Analla, Rosa Parraz, Alissa Parras and 10-month-old Nycholas in Goshen, California. Nikkitia Bryan in Fort Pierce, Florida. Princess Tolliver in Sanford, Florida. Ming Wei Ma, Mymy Nhan, Diana Man Ling Tom, Xiujuan Yu, Valentino Marcos Alvero, Yu Lun Kao, Hongying Jian, Wen Tau Yu, Chia Ling Yau, Muoi Dai Ung and LiLan Li in Monterey Park, California. Jose Manuel Ozuna-Ruiz in Brookhaven, Georgia. Alexsandra Olmo and Jael Burgos in Chicago. Marciano Martinez Jimenez, Jose Romero Perez, Aixiang Zhang, Zhishen Liu, Qizhing Cheng, Jingzhi Lu and Yetao Bing in Half Moon Bay, California. Mario Navarro in Oakland, California. Donald Williams, Sierra Wherry and James Beauregard in Robeson County, North Carolina. Al-Supreme Davis in Newark, New Jersey. Destiny Smith, Nenah Davis and Iyana Hutton in Los Angeles. Brayden Bolyard in Austin. John David Leone and Kimberly Rowell in Andrews, South Carolina. Charles Smith in Columbus. Cedric Monroe in Greensboro, North Carolina. Shermonda Lewis in Dallas. Jason Epps and Terence Kimble in Durham, North Carolina.

Cruz Garcia and James Jones in Huntsville, Texas. Javier Lopez and Caleb Nickerson in Falcon, Colorado. Tamrionna Jarret in Newport, Arkansas. Eduardo Salazar in Tucson, Arizona. A 42-year-old in Stockton, California. Alexis Gonzales in Corpus Christi, Texas. Tationa Hudgins and Kristen Hudgins in New Orleans. A 20-year-old and a 13-year-old in Harvey, Louisiana. Jeremiah Smith in New York City. Devonte McMillian in Louisville. Arielle Anderson, Alexandria Verner and Brian Fraser at Michigan State University. 2-year-old Alayna Butts in Sweetwater, Tennessee. Angeles Zaragoza in El Paso, Texas. Sayuri Gill, Melany Torres and a 14-year-old in Galena Park, Texas. Michael Carter Sr., Michael Carter Jr. and Tonya Carter in Columbus, Georgia. An individual in Memphis. Justyna Nieroda, Natalia Nieroda and Sebastian Nieroda in Linden, New Jersey. Roderick Tobias in New Orleans. William Smith, Nasir Hall and 1-year-old A-mara Hall in Chicago. Dylan Lyons and a 9-year-old in Pine Hills, Florida. Larry Jiles and another in Saint Paul, Minnesota. A 28-year-old and a 33-year-old in Detroit. Dayvon Johson and Delana James in Pompano Beach, Florida. Cory Blocker and another in Memphis. Ethan Cain, Steven Cain and William Felton in New Richmond, Ohio. Cartez Daniels, Samiya Shelton-Tillman and 9-year-old Sanai Daniels in Bolingbrook, Illinois. 

Glenda Terwilliger, Michael Andrew Watson, Constance Marie Terwilliger and Kiarra Terwilliger in Cocoa, Florida. Samuel Moon and Aj’anaye Hill in Douglasville, Georgia. Jack Vernon Jr., Vicki Lynn Bright and Bob White in La Riviera, California. Three men and a woman in Memphis, Tennessee. Asharray Thomas and a 16-year-old in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. Yoanka Aguilar, Beatriz Ferrer David, Barbara David Ballesteros and an unidentified fourth individual in Miami Lakes, Florida. Lupe Cruz, Juan Cruz, Jasmin Borja and Fatima Alvarado in Dallas. Tiffany Michele Hernandez, Jason Joseph Brown, Amber Manning and Timothy Davidson in Birmingham, Alabama. Gerardo Torres and Eddie Hernandez in Modesto, California. Antwaun Artis and Jayden Peacock in Columbus. A 15-year-old in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Carlos Evans, 5-year-old Aayden Holliday-Slacks, 6-year-old Aason Holliday-Slacks and Ava Holliday in Sumter, South Carolina. Ernest Hall in Baltimore. Jacorvin Taylor in Shreveport, Louisiana. Malachi Carey and Jailene Washington in Little Rock, Arkansas. A 22-year-old and a 24-year-old in Philadelphia. Mike Hill, Katherine Koonce, Cynthia Peak, 9-year-old Hallie Scruggs, 9-year-old Evelyn Dieckhaus and 9-year-old William Kinney at the Covenant School in Nashville. Two individuals in Memphis.

Darlene Briscoe, Charles Murray and Girard Smith in Baltimore. A 45-year-old in Los Angeles. Francisco Tanajara, Eric Oberholtzer and a third individual in Oklahoma City. Anthony Bradshaw in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Sancho Xavier Sierra in Pueblo, Colorado. Elijah Jackson in Atlanta. Christian Figueroa in Philadelphia. Ladarius Williams in Park Forest, Illinois. Tristan Morgan, Patriza Deterville and Jamal Watson in Orlando. Joshua Barrick, Deana Eckert, Thomas Elliot, Juliana Farmer and James Tutt in Louisville, Kentucky. Terrell Coghill in Washington D.C. Joyonna Pearsall in Goldsboro, North Carolina. Brycen Demond Cassell-Thomas in Fort Wayne, Indiana. An individual in Kansas City, Missouri. Another individual in Detroit. Juan Lopez in Northridge, California. Deaji Goodman and David Huff in Louisville, Kentucky. Philstavious Dowdell, Shaunkivia Nicole Smith, Marsiah Emmanuel Collins and Corbin Dahmontrey Holston in Dadeville, Alabama. A 59-year-old and a 34-year-old in Māili, Hawaii. Robert Eger, Patricia Eger, Cynthia Eaton and David Eaton in Bowdoin, Maine. 12-year-old Secret Pierce in Hartford, Connecticut. Beatrice Knights in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Sonia Argentina Guzmán, Diana Velázquez Alvarado, Julisa Molina Rivera, José Jonathan Casárez and 9-year-old Daniel Enrique Laso-Guzmán in Cleveland, Texas. Malik Ballard, Khalif Frezghi and Salah Fleming in Philadelphia. De’Arreis Smith and Haeleigh Stamper in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. Darius Travon Canada, Anna Marie Hester, Martina Barraza and Faith Leighanne Rose Asbry in Mojave, California. Desiderio Arias in Lawrence, Massachusetts. Marquise Jackson in Athens, Georgia.

Holly McFadden, Tiffany Guess, Michael Mayo, Rylee Allen, Ivy Webster and Brittany Brewer in Okmulgee County, Oklahoma. A 40-year-old, a 21-year-old, a 17-year-old and an 11-year-old in Lake Wales, Florida. Twayne Worthy and Deenay Munford in Dekalb County, Georgia. Amy St. Pierre in Atlanta, Georgia. Two young individuals in Bastrop, Louisiana. Chase Harmon in Ocean Springs, Mississippi. Rayon Caffery and Eric Taylor in St. Louis, Missouri. Travione Jones and Devin Winchester in Natchez, Mississippi. An individual in San Diego. A 17-year-old in Chico, California. Kyu Song Cho, Cindy Cho, 3-year-old James Cho, Aishwarya Thatikonda, 11-year-old Daniela Mendza, 8-year-old Sofia Mendoza, Christian LaCour and Elio Cumana-Rivas in Allen, Texas. Taylin Roland in Columbus. Maqwan Allen and Derrick Irutingabo in Adelanto, California. Julius Ferguson in Newark, New Jersey. Melvin Hooker III in Columbia, Missouri. Alexander Ramon Redondo in Frostburg, Maryland. Aaliyah Gillom and Asia Baker in St. Louis, Missouri. A 19-year-old in Thornton, California. Rodney Jackson in Denver. Nazeem Rains in Philadelphia. Artemas Boyd II in Indianapolis. Jabez Davis and Jarrell Harmon in Chicago. Ryan Scott Lee, Ivania Margarita Lee and Shawn Maurice Price in Maryland City, Maryland. Demontaw Jakwan Tyreek Marshall in Louisville, Kentucky. A 19-year-old and a 20-year-old in Yuma, Arizona. Germayne Farrell and Keith Coates in Augusta, Georgia. Ana Moreno in Dallas. Jarquis Willis in Montgomery, Alabama. Melody Ivie, Gwendolyn Schofield and Shirley Voita in Farmington, New Mexico. Devon Jordan King in San Antonio, Texas. Kristy Throw and another in Kansas City, Kansas. A woman and a teenager in New Orleans. Jason McConnel, Antoinette Brenson and Clarence Henderson in Kansas City, Missouri. Jack Keiser in Columbia, Tennessee. Aida Garcia-Mendoza, Reuben Olalde, Lisbet Olalde and Oliver Olalde in Nash, Texas. Nicholas Arnstad, Julian Cox, Stephen Young and John Swain in Mesa, Arizona. Devin Thompson in Columbus, Mississippi. Edwin Geovanny Salmon, Luis Alonzo Salgado-Rivas and Kevin Josue Vallecillo Mendoza in Dale City, Virginia. Anthony Silva, Randy Sanchez and Damian Breaux in Red River, New Mexico. Olanda Bender in Marianna, Arkansas. A 66-year-old in Philadelphia. An individual in Dayton, Ohio. Demond Jones in Syracuse. Deshawn Stephens in Hollywood, South Carolina. 8-year-old Jesus Perez-Salome, 9-year-old Sebastian Perez-Salome and Joshua Lugo-Perez in Lebanon, Pennsylvania. Alvarez Elliot and Alzy Diamond in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Shameka Lundy in Cleveland. 

Christopher Telfair in San Antonio, Texas. A 25-year-old in Chicago. Tyesha Merritt in Sunnyvale, Texas. Marcos Perez, Jordan Johnson and Nick Ortega in Albuquerque, New Mexico Kevin Jones in Dayton, Ohio. A 16-year-old and a 19-year-old in Boone County, Missouri. An individual in Goulding, Florida. Lorenzo Smith and Shawn Jackson during a high school graduation ceremony in Richmond, Virginia. Armien Jones Jr in North Charleston, South Carolina. Brianna Lartz in Jeannette, Pennsylvania. Jesus Contreras Chacon in Benton City, Washington. Nadia Itzel Tirado in Antioch, California. Nicholas Mireles, Mario Mireles Ruiz and Christian Segovia in Annapolis, Maryland. An individual in Crosby, Texas. Mykai Daniels in Tulsa, Oklahoma. A 7-year-old, a 4-year-old and a 3-year old in Monroe Township, Ohio. Regina Ann Barnett, Brittnee Perez, 11-year-old Vanessa Nicole Perez, 6-year-old Lilyana Perez and 2-year-old Nicholas Perez in Sequatchie, Tennessee. Brandy Escamilla and Josilyn Ruiz in Grant County, Washington. La’Nard Gaddy in Charlotte, North Carolina. Lakeisha Hayward in Alexandria, Louisiana. A 17-year-old in St. Louis, Missouri. Reginald Meadows in Dupage County, Illinois. A 31-year-old in Chicago. Brian Ross and another in Chicago. Damien Leon Lovett in Greenville, North Carolina. Kenneth Guardipee, Kenna Guardipee, Devin Smith and Aiken Smith in Kellogg, Idaho. A 20-year-old in Chicago. Mari Sparks in Pontiac, Michigan. Jerron Albritton in Fort Worth, Texas. Jonathan Lenard Frazier and Willie Alphonso Bell Jr. in Pine Hills, Florida. Pamela Whitson and Ryan Clemons in Saginaw, Michigan. Tywain Henning, Kaleyia Preer and Christopher Lee Wilson in Indianapolis, Indiana. A 17-year-old in Missouri City, Texas. Nikko Manning, Camden Brown and Jasisty Strong in Kansas City, Missouri. Dallas Williams and another in Ypsilanti Township, Michigan. A 16-year-old in Odessa, Texas. A 23-year old in Chicago. 

Aaliyah Gonzales and Kylis Fagbemi in Baltimore. Seychelle Schaumburg, 14-year-old Kyrien and 5-year-old Ushara in St. Ann, Missouri. Serenity Wilson in Indianapolis. Paul Willis, Cynthia Santos and Gabriella Navarrete in Fort Worth, Texas. Dejuan Brown, Joseph Wamah Jr., Dymir Stanton, Ralph Moralis and Lashyd Merritt in Philadelphia. Morad Aziz, Jarike Dorsey, Demorie Williams and Syncere Brown in Shreveport, Louisiana. A 26-year-old and a 17-year-old in Paterson, New Jersey. Ajaunae Todd and another in Cleveland. Tyrone Moore in Chicago. A 14-year-old in Wicomico County, Maryland. Jahcorian Green in Dallas. A 29-year-old and a 21-year-old in Baltimore. Troy Allen in Gary, Indiana. Matthew Hervey in Indio, California. An 87-year-old in New York City, New York. A 15-year-old in Montgomery, Alabama. Allen Taylor in Dubuque, Iowa. An individual in Wadesboro, North Carolina. Semagea Smith and DeQuincton Taylor in Amarillo, Texas. Aveon White in East St. Louis, Illinois. James Nicholson and Alexa Retana in El Paso, Texas. Jake Wallin in Fargo, North Dakota. Isaac Love in Munhall, Pennsylvania. Scott Leavitt, Shirley Leavitt, Steve Blizzard and Ronald Jeffers in Hampton, Georgia. Alondra Vega-Martinez in Hartford, Connecticut. Shaniah Jones in Dallas. Ashley Griggs in Chicago. Two individuals in Memphis. Travis Jones Jr. in Columbia, South Carolina. Two individuals in Houston. Three children aged between a few months to 11 years in Verdigris, Oklahoma. Ronald David Green in Greensboro, North Carolina. George Young in Marrero, Louisiana. An individual in Memphis. A 40-year-old in Chicago. Autumn Vallian in Houston. Israel Gonzalez in Houston. An individual in Dallas. Essence Naje Greene in Seattle. A 34-year-old in New York City. Ashley Atwell, Annaway Mackey and Sara Gonzales in Tulsa. An individual in Ford Heights, Illinois. An iIndividual in their 30s in Tampa. Joseph Bonner III in Muncie, Indiana. A 31-year-old and a 68-year-old in Marysville, Washington. 

Bernard Hodges, Reginald Gilbert and Tymea Cook in Washington D.C. 19-month-old Kaci Giselle Cyprian in Lafayette, Louisiana. Jean Song, Lauren Smith-Song, Shang Song and Yuna Song in Crystal Lake, Illinois. Nyreese Moore, Naasir Fold and Ishiah Williams in Philadelphia. August Golden in Minneapolis. An 18-year-old in Chicago. Kim Fairbanks and a 10-year-old in Springfield, Massachusetts. Cassandra Flores, 9-year-old Hillary Armendariz, 5-year-old Damaris Armendariz and 2-year-old Marias Armendariz in Oklahoma City. Marillorky Tamayo-Cruz in Spring Valley, Nevada. A 30-year-old in Philadelphia. Trevis Bellerd, Jonathan Bishu and Nadia Kassa in Seattle. An individual in Upper Darby Township, Pennsylvania. Tiara Scott in Madison County, Mississippi. Tonya Clark, Glen Sprowl Jr. and John Leehey in Trabuco Canyon, California. Melissa Dunham, Jason Dunham, Renee Dunham, Amber Dunham and 9-year-old Evan Dunham in Uniontown, Ohio. A 16-year-old at a high school football game in Choctaw, Oklahoma. Angela Michelle Carr, Jerrald Gallion and Anolt Joseph Laguerre Jr. in Jacksonville, Florida. Sherlyn Ann Pitts, Sheena Yvonne Smothers and a 17-year-old in Joppatowne, Maryland. Terraence Bethel and Colby Banks in Louisville, Kentucky. An individual in Detroit. 

Abraham Diaz and Jandriel Heredia in Lynn, Massachusetts. Jourdon Concepcion and Brian Darden in Galveston, Texas. Isaiah Keel in High Point, North Carolina. Da Chino Thurman in Freeport, Illinois. Markiezia Atkins and Chaveda Willis in Birmingham, Alabama. Two individuals in Detroit, Michigan. Alberto Rolon, Zoraida Barolomei, a 7-year-old and a 9-year-old in Romeoville, Illinois. Julia Worthington and Eliel Omar Bultron Hernandez in El Paso, Texas. Angela Gwyn in Spring Lake, North Carolina. A 22-year-old woman in Orlando. 3-year-old Kae’Lynn Marie Matthews and two others in Jacksonville, Florida. Jakobe Fanning, Dre’Von Riley and Caleb Wise in Richland County, South Carolina. 

Lamarantae Swift in Omaha, Nebraska. A 65-year-old and a 28-year-old in Harris County, Texas. A newborn in Holyoke, Massachusetts. Two individuals in Inglewood, California. Jamar Montae Porterfield Herriot in Chevy Chase Heights, Pennsylvania. Tyrek Cameron, Tre’Joun Walker and Eric Miller in Denver, Colorado. A 44-year-old in Seattle. Ke’Marion Tucker in Oakley, California. Saquan Santiago in Greenville, North Carolina. Tricia Asselin, Peyton Brewer-Ross, William Frank Brackett, Thomas Ryan Conrad, Michael Deslauriers II, Maxx Hathaway, Bryan MacFarlane, Keith Macneir, Ronald Morin, Joshua Seal, Arthur Fred Strout, Stephen Vozzella, Lucille Violette, Robert Violette, Joseph Lawrence Walker, Jason Adam Walker, William Young and Aaron Young in the deadliest shooting since Uvalde in Lewiston, Maine. Alfonza Jeffers, Dagoberto Lopez, Hector Salazar Lopez, Lamar Williams and Jamie Lynn Rowland in Sampson County, North Carolina. A 17-year-old and an 18-year-old in Mansfield, Ohio. Deandre Fezell, Alqadis Williams and Jayla Hampton in Texarkana, Texas. A 40-year-old and a 35-year-old in San Antonio, Texas. 14-year-old Elijah and Harrison Boonstoppel in Tampa. Kalin Washington in Indianapolis. Antonio Cabrera in Dodge City, Kansas.

An 11-year-old in Cincinnati. Joseph Garth in Richmond Heights, Ohio. Two individuals in Denver. Samuel Ling in Indianapolis. Two individuals in Tacoma, Washington.

These are all the victims I could find of those killed in mass shootings thus far this year. Each paragraph denotes a different month of 2023. However, this list does not include those who were injured. This list does not include singular homicides or suicides. Nor will this list include the many others who will die to guns during the remainder of the year.

There is no agreed upon definition of what constitutes a mass shooting. Mass Shooting Tracker identifies a mass shooting as “an incident where four or more people are shot in a single shooting spray.” According to their data, at the time of publishing this column, there have been 677 mass shootings in the United States. 805 people have been killed. 2,725 people have been injured. This averages out to 2.18 shootings per day so far this year.

Keeping track of all the lives lost and all the people injured seems like an impossible task. It is also never ending.

How is it possible to look at all of those names, scroll as far as you did, and see that there is absolutely nothing wrong? Many people would chalk this up to gang violence or domestic disputes that took a turn for the worse. Others would simply say “It’s the person, not the gun.” Well, what did they kill with? What did they use to slaughter all those people, to steal all those lives with? Guns.

I won’t pretend like we can eliminate all guns off the streets or that we live in a perfect society where violence will suddenly cease to exist without guns. But you cannot ignore the consequences of living in a nation where guns are so easily purchased. Where owning a gun isn’t seen as a privilege for those that work for it, but rather an intrinsic right.

You get a gun, I get a gun, everyone gets a gun in this great nation!

For every 100 citizens in the United States, there are 120.5 guns. This number far surpasses every other developed nation in the world. The gun homicide rate in this country far supersedes others as well, with 4.1 gun homicides per 100,000 citizens. The next closest country, Bulgaria, has a rate of 0.6 gun homicides per 100,000 citizens. There are only 8.4 guns per 100 people.

Only a handful of days ago, Lewiston, Maine, experienced the deadliest shooting in the country since Uvalde. 18 people died in Lewiston, while 21 died in Uvalde, including 19 elementary school children. Since the shooting, Democratic representative Jared Golden of Maine has switched his position on guns. In his initial campaign ads, he is seen firing a rifle and ridiculing his Republican competition for supporting background checks. It took the death of 18 people in his own town to change his mind. He said “All my justifications turned out to be hubristic.” Only when it affected him, when he saw gun violence in his own backyard, did he decide that something needs to change. Before this, his views never waivered when others’ lives were cut too short to guns and shootings in this country. But now that it has affected him directly, he is asking for forgiveness.

I am tired of people ignoring the numbers, the statistics and the data. Gun violence is the leading cause of childhood deaths in this country, and we still ignore it. In the above list I had to write down “newborn” because a baby was shot right after the mother gave birth. How is this not resonating with people? How are voters and lawmakers and legislators alike ignoring this problem when every day people are dying? 

Every day, another shooting happens, and we brush it under the rug. There were names, people with families and loved ones, I couldn’t find because the news cycle couldn’t devote enough time to yet another atrocity. If it doesn’t take children and babies being slaughtered each month, all the mothers and fathers, siblings and cousins killed, I don’t know what will make the rest of the country wake up. I am tired and I am angry. You should be too.

Do not let incidents like the many I listed above demoralize you. Let this radicalize you.

Livia LaMarca is writing about this topic again next week. Write to her at lll60@pitt.edu.