July 5 (Reuters) – A Philadelphia gunman charged with killing five people over the Fourth of July weekend left “disturbing messages” on social media before carrying out one of several U.S. mass shootings that marred the holiday break, authorities said on Wednesday.
The suspect, identified as 40-year-old Kimbrady Carriker, appeared on Wednesday in Philadelphia County Municipal Court for arraignment on five counts of murder and other charges related to the Monday evening rampage, which appeared to be random.
In addition to the five deaths, two children were wounded in the attack, one of a rash of mass shootings over the holiday weekend in a country where gun violence has become nearly commonplace.
Some 16 mass shootings took place across the U.S. from Friday evening until Wednesday morning, leaving 15 dead and 94 injured, according to the Gun Violence Archive. It defines a mass shooting as any in which four or more people are wounded or killed, not including the shooter.
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