‘Senseless crime’: The victims of July Fourth shootings

A poster with photos are attached to a fence in the South Austin neighborhood of Chicago on Sunday, July 5, 2020, during a vigil for 7-year-old Natalie Wallace, who was shot and killed as her family gathered to celebrate the Fourth of July holiday Saturday night in the 100 bock of North Latrobe Avenue Kingsbury Street. (Erin Hooley/Chicago Tribune via AP) A poster with photos are attached to a fence in the South Austin neighborhood of Chicago on Sunday, July 5, 2020, during a vigil for 7-year-old Natalie Wallace, who was shot and killed as her family gathered to celebrate the Fourth of July holiday Saturday night in the 100 bock of North Latrobe Avenue Kingsbury Street. (Erin Hooley/Chicago Tribune via AP)

By CHRISTOPHER WEBER / Associated Press July 7, 2020 7 min read

A 6-year-old computer whiz. A young mother working for a better home for her kids. An 8-year-old who loved to make dance videos.

From San Francisco to South Carolina, a spate of shootings claimed the lives of people celebrating or just taking a drive over the Fourth of July weekend. Chicago saw one of its bloodiest holiday weekends in memory, with 17 killed and 70 wounded by gunfire. The incidents come amid fears the coronavirus pandemic, protests against racism, rising gun sales and an election year could make for a particularly deadly summer.

Here’s a look at some of the victims from this weekend.

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‘SHE DIED IN MY ARMS’