Federal authorities in Texas planned to detail their response Monday to a series of shootings in Dallas, one of numerous gun incidents across the nation on Halloween weekend that left at least eight people dead and dozens more injured.
Many of the mass shootings occurred in entertainment districts and in college towns. The deadliest occurred in Dallas, where the U.S. attorney’s office planned a news conference to discuss federal actions related to three shootings in the city’s Deep Ellum neighborhood, a center of music and restaurants. Those shootings left four people dead and 15 injured and happened over the span of about an hour and 15 minutes early Sunday.
As investigators continued their searches for suspects and the motives for the shootings, word spread of even more mass violence over the weekend along with condemnation from elected officials.
Two separate shootings occurred in Birmingham, Alabama, after the annual “Magic City Classic” college football game on Saturday night. And police in college towns reported shootings in their nightlife districts where annual Halloween gatherings are popular, including in Fayetteville, Arkansas; Birmingham, Alabama; Newark, Delaware; Bloomington, Illinois; and Bloomington, Indiana.
Deep Ellum saw gun violence earlier this year
Dallas Police Chief Daniel Comeaux has said investigators were still trying to determine if the shootings were related and why they started. His department had increased police presence prior to the shootings in the district, which had experienced deadly violence earlier this year.
Two people were fatally stabbed during a fight outside a nightclub in February, and a security guard was shot and killed while trying to break up a fight inside a nightclub in May. There also have been nonfatal shootings, including during Cinco de Mayo festivities in May when five people were wounded outside of a sports bar, police said.
Halloween can be a busy time for gun violence incidents
Multiple academic studies of police department and hospital data from major cities over the last decade have shown gun violence is more frequent at night, on weekends and on holidays. Several studies have pointed to the July Fourth holiday as being one of the most or the most violent holiday because of dark hours for fireworks celebrations, combined with alcohol consumption and other factors. New Year’s and Halloween were also high on the list for gun violence incidents.
Last year the homicide rate in the United States dropped to its lowest point in 75 years, according to FBI numbers on 2025 crime. Those numbers showed homicides decreased by 18% and overall violent crime dropped 9.3% last year.
Cities and municipalities across the country largely have been experiencing drops in homicides and violence, with a few exceptions, for the past few years. Federal authorities and nonprofit groups have noted national violent crime and homicide rates have been declining since 2022. Experts also noted that trend had continued through the first six months of 2026.
Elected officials take to social media after shootings
In Jackson, Mississippi, two people were killed and six others were injured in a shooting during a Halloween costume party at a nightclub early Sunday, police said. Just before the shooting, two men entered the club wearing ski masks. At some point at least one of the suspects opened fire into the crowd, police said. The suspects have not yet been identified.
A 20-year-old man and an 18-year-old woman were killed in the shooting, while six others were taken to hospitals with injuries that didn’t appear to be life threatening, police said.
“No one should have to fear for their life while enjoying an evening out,” Jackson Mayor John Horhn said in a statement following the shooting.
Near Indiana University's campus, seven people were wounded in a shooting early Sunday in a busy nightlife area. None of the victims were believed to be students, police said.
“This is unacceptable in Bloomington, and in any community,” Bloomington Mayor Kerry Thomson said Sunday in a video address shared on social media.
Even with increased police staffing, no public safety plan can eliminate every act of violence, Thomson said.
Separate shootings occurred outside a college football game
In Birmingham, Alabama, one person was killed and eight others were wounded in two separate shootings just outside Legion Field after the annual “Magic City Classic” football game on Saturday night. Alabama State and Alabama A&M are archrivals whose annual contest has been played for more than 100 years. Nearly 70,000 fans attended Saturday’s game, won by Alabama A&M 31-28. The event draws some of the largest crowds in the country for games played in their college football division.
Michael Pickett, chief of the Birmingham Police Department, said most spectators and families had left the stadium property after the game. The first shooting happened nearby, where vendors were set up along Graymont Avenue.
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Raby reported from Charleston, West Virginia. AP reporters Claudia Lauer in Philadelphia and Jamie Stengle in Dallas contributed to this report.
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