On October 1, 58 people were killed and hundreds more injured when a high-stakes gambler outfitted with an arsenal of assault-style rifles and bump stocks opened fire from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Hotel on the Las Vegas Strip. It was the worst mass shooting in modern American history.
On November 4, a 26-year-old gunman with an AR-15-style rifle opened fire during Sunday services at a Baptist church in rural Texas, killing 26 people. It was the deadliest mass shooting in Texas history.
In the days between the massacres in Las Vegas and Sutherland Springs, Texas, the toll of everyday gun violence did not let up.
From October 2 through November 4, at least 4,319 people were shot across the United States, according to Gun Violence Archive, a nonpartisan organization that compiles daily statistics on gun violence from news clips and police reports. At least 1,385 of the victims died of their injuries.
With the help of Gun Memorial, a website that collects photographs and biographical details of people killed by guns, The Trace put names to a segment of that sobering number. Here, in brief, are the stories of 34 more Americans whose lives were cut short by bullets.
October 2
Asiyanna Jones-Eurquhart, 22, was sitting in her car in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, when she was caught in a shootout and fatally struck in the head. Jones was a child-care worker at a local YMCA, and passionate about fashion and makeup. She is mourned by her parents.
October 3
TerriLynne Collins, 54, was killed during a struggle with an intruder at her family’s getaway property in Concho, Arizona, about three hours northeast of Phoenix. Police arrested a 14-year-old boy for the shooting. Collins, a native of Ottawa, Canada, left behind six children.
October 4
Diana Martinez-Gonzalez, 18, was shot multiple times in the head after she was forced into the woods in Easley, South Carolina. Police arrested a 19-year-old Mexican living in the United States illegally, who said that he shot her because of rumors she’d allegedly spread about him. Martinez-Gonzalez, an 11th grader, was hoping to graduate with her class next June.
October 5
Christopher Sayers, 37, a foreman at a construction site in New York City, was fatally shot by a worker he’d fired two days earlier, who then turned the gun on himself. Sayers, who lived on Long Island, was described by colleagues as a quiet guy who got along well with everyone.
October 6
Alfredo Palencia, 26, was shot to death in Phoenix while towing an SUV that had been improperly parked at an apartment complex. Police say he was confronted by a friend of the vehicle’s owner, who was later arrested. A colleague described Palencia as “hilarious, respectful, well loved.”
October 7
Nyatole Eh, 17, was shot and killed in Decatur, Georgia, by his fiancé’s mother, who’d just learned that he’d impregnated her daughter. The couple had dropped by the apartment to get vital documents just before the shooting. “There was no type of argument or even altercation,” a police spokesperson said. “Mom just walked up behind the victim and shot him.”
October 8
Deberianah Begley, 16, was killed in Nashville while trying to dodge an exchange of gunfire between two groups of men at a housing development. A clarinet player who performed in her high school band, Begley was scheduled to captain her dance team in a college homecoming parade. A 17-year-old boy was arrested in the case.
October 9
Joshua David Sanchez, 27, was fatally struck by a stray bullet while driving to pick up his two young sons in Edinburg, Texas. Sanchez, a single father, had recently moved to Texas from Massachusetts “to better his life and his children’s life,” his mother said. A third son died in 2011.
October 10
Herman Roberts, 22, was shot at least nine times at close range in a park in Atlanta. Police say Roberts, an artist, may have been lured there with the promise of filming a music video by someone he was alleged to have stolen money from. He had two young children. “They robbed my baby of his future,” his mother said.
October 11
Messiah Chiverton, 16, died after being shot in the head during a fight among a group of high school students in Philadelphia. An 18-year-old was charged in the shooting. “We need to get these guns off the street,” Chiverton’s paternal grandmother said. “Why does [an 18-year-old] have a semiautomatic handgun?”
October 12
Lisa Cosenza, 51, a former newspaper advertising executive, was fatally shot along with her longtime boyfriend at their Aliso Viejo, California, condo. Police later arrested her 26-year-old stepson, who also wounded two visitors to the home. A former colleague of Cosenza’s from the Daily Pilot remembered her as “loud,” outgoing, and “fun to work with.”
October 13
Marcus McNeil, 29, a police officer in New Orleans, was fatally shot while investigating a suspicious person at an intersection. McNeil managed to fire his service pistol, hitting the suspected gunman, who was later arrested. A three-year veteran of the New Orleans Police Department, McNeil left behind a wife and two children under the age of 6.
October 14
Edgar Vazquez, 13, was unintentionally shot by a longtime friend, also 13, who found a shotgun during a sleepover at the friend’s home. The boy told police he thought the gun was unloaded. The parents of one of Vazquez’s friends remembered the eighth-grader’s “amazing smile, excellent manners and positive attitude.”
October 15
Jermonee Moore Tolliver, 19, was killed in a drive-by shooting at a house party in Phoenix that wounded three others. Moore was revived six times at the hospital, but succumbed to blood loss. Her mother arrived just in time to watch her daughter take her last breath. “I held her hand,” Kimberly Moore said. “I was with my daughter.” A 20-year-old man was arrested.
October 16
Lorraine Maylynn Faison, 49, was fatally shot in the heart during a dispute with a co-worker over how to properly discount merchandise at the Burlington clothing store where they worked in Taylor, Michigan. Police arrested the woman, also 49. Faison left behind a daughter and a grandchild.
October 17
Dallis Coleman, 64, was fatally shot in the head during an apparent robbery at his home in Indianapolis. He was found by his son. His car was also stolen. Two teenagers were arrested for burglary and murder. Coleman, a delivery truck driver, left behind a big network of friends and family.
October 18
Seretse Robinson, 48, was fatally shot along with her 19-year-old son, Leon Perry, in their car in Calumet City, Illinois. Police believe the incident was a case of mistaken identity. Robinson, a longtime employee at a Ford assembly plant, and Perry, her only son, “were two of a kind,” her sister said. “They couldn’t live without each other.”
October 19
Connor Mickens, 3, was shot in the head when someone entered his Jacksonville, Florida, home and opened fire. His mother was wounded in the incident. Police suspect her ex-boyfriend, who was arrested on an unrelated gun charge. The shooting reportedly stemmed from an argument. “My sister, she’s numb,” the boy’s aunt said.
October 20
Mora Lyons, 44, was fatally shot in the chest in Brooklyn, New York, during a brawl after a day of drinking. Police say his 71-year-old friend pulled the trigger. Lyons was a driver for a medical supply company.
October 21
Stephanie Montez, 47, was shot several times and killed on a county road in Robstown, Texas. The victim was the 14th known transgender person to be fatally shot so far this year. A friend who’d known Montez for 30 years said the drag performer “had a great outlook on life. She was very supportive of everyone.”
October 22
Kathleen Lange, 47, was shot to death during an argument with her husband in the living room of their Greencastle, Pennsylvania home. The couple had reportedly been drinking heavily. Police charged her husband with murder. An Indiana native, Lange was a municipal employee, issuing permits for the township. She is survived by two children.
October 23
Johnson Liggins Jr., 17, of Chicago, was fatally shot in the head and chest just blocks from his home on the city’s Far South Side. Two men walked up to him, and one of them opened fire, police said. The suspects have not been apprehended. A member of his high school band, Liggins reportedly wanted to be a politician when he grew up.
October 24
Tovara Flowers-Straughter, 39, of Valdosta, Georgia, was shot and killed following an argument at a housing complex. At the scene of the shooting, a friend who grew up with Flowers-Straughter said he “didn’t bother anyone,” and a cousin said people looked up to him.
October 25
Tom Pickert, 39, a personal injury attorney in Kansas City, Missouri, was shot to death on his front porch. He’d just walked his two sons to school. Police have not apprehended a suspect, but are investigating whether the shooting involves one of his past cases. Pickert’s wife, who found her husband’s body, operates a local chapter of the political organization Indivisible, which includes the reduction of gun violence among its efforts.
October 26
Erneisha Barnes, 19, was fatally shot in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, while sitting in the passenger seat of a car. Police said she was caught in the crossfire during a dispute in which her friend was involved. A suspect is in custody. Barnes is survived by a daughter, 4, and her mother, with whom she lived. She had a job interview scheduled for the morning after her murder.
October 27
Natalie Turner, 17, of Chetek, Wisconsin, was fatally shot by her stepfather, who also killed her mother and then himself. The shooting was reportedly preceded by an argument between the divorced couple, who still lived together. Natalie, a senior in high school, was described by one of her friends as “one of the most sweetest, caring girls I’ve ever met in my life.”
October 28
Dorian Brown, 27, of Jacksonville, Florida, was fatally shot during a confrontation at a convenience store near his mother’s home. His family said the bullets were not meant for him. Brown, who is survived by three children under 5, would have turned 28 on Halloween.
October 29
Nate Czajkowski, 16, of Colorado Springs, was killed in a triple shooting outside a 24-hour Mexican restaurant. One of the teens who survived the shooting said he doesn’t know who opened fire or why. A friend of Czajkowski, a high school sophomore who wrestled and played football, described him as “never not happy.” An aspiring musician, he’d recently put out an album.
October 30
Antonio Maurice Henderson, 36, was shot to death at an apartment complex in Vicksburg, Mississippi. Witnesses heard arguing before shots rang out. Police do not have a suspect. Henderson, a New England Patriots fan, studied business management at Alcorn State University. “If I knew you were going to leave me, I would’ve held you tighter and kissed you a little longer,” his girlfriend wrote on Facebook.
October 31
Christina Rucker, 30, who went by Ashlee, was fatally shot in front of her 8-year-old son. The killing occurred at the home she shared with her sister, who was also shot but is expected to recover. Rucker, of Jacksonville, Florida, was reportedly trying to leave her abusive ex-boyfriend. Rucker’s uncle said she worked in the medical field and had “a bubbly personality.”
November 1
Pamela Marques, 52, was gunned down along with two other shoppers at a Walmart in Thornton, Colorado. Police believe the victims were targeted at random. Marques was shopping with her husband when she died. She had a daughter and twin granddaughters, and raised money for the girls’ softball team. “They were her life,” her niece said. The gunman was apprehended after a 12-hour manhunt.
November 2
Fretrell Queen, 28, was found shot to death in a bedroom closet in his home in Port Allen, Louisiana. Police said there were no signs of forced entry, and don’t yet have a motive or a suspect. Queen was the father of a 2-year-old girl and had another child on the way. A cousin said he lived for family. Queen’s killing is Port Allen’s first recorded homicide of the year.
November 3
Darrence Kindle, 31, was fatally shot during a robbery at a Dollar General in Lufkin, Texas. Kindle, a computer service technician for Ancestry.com, was a regular at the store and just happened to be standing near the register when the thief opened fire. “He was all about uplifting people,” Kindle’s sister said. “He was all about enjoying life. He was happy. He was loved.” The gunman is at large.
November 4
Brandon Pennywell, 21, was found shot to death in a car on the west side of Saginaw, Michigan. Less than a year earlier, his twin brother, Cameron, was fatally shot in an armed robbery on the east side of town. Pennywell is survived by his parents, sister, and a large extended family.
