Ezekial Valdivia, who was wounded in a mass shooting that killed four people, including Valdivia’s mother and three siblings, died on Saturday. He was just nine years old. According to reports, Valdivia’s mother had received a restraining order against the shooter, the children’s father, just a day prior to the shooting in their San Diego home.
Mass shootings have taken a devastating toll on children. An analysis of mass shootings by Everytown revealed that in the decade between 2009 and 2018, there were a total of 194 mass shootings, which left 1,121 people dead and an additional 836 people wounded –– among those casualties included 309 children and teens killed and 194 more wounded.
The analysis adds to the growing body of research affirming the value of common-sense gun laws like background checks on all gun sales, red flag laws and laws to keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers.
Read the full analysis here.
A sampling of the findings highlighted in the report:
- Nearly three in four children and teens killed in a mass shooting died in a shooting connected to domestic violence.
- 54 percent of mass shootings over the past decade were perpetrated by someone who displayed prior warning signs, such as a threat or act of violence.
- One in three shooters were legally prohibited from possessing firearms at the time of the shooting.
- Domestic violence is a part of over half of mass shootings; in at least 54 percent of mass shootings, the perpetrator shot an intimate partner or family member during the mass rampage.
Everytown defines a mass shooting as a shooting in which four people are fatally shot, not including the shooter.
To learn more about domestic violence and guns or to connect with a volunteer with the California chapter of Moms Demand Action please don’t hesitate to reach out.
