Gun violence dominated the news this week as shootings in Washington Navy Yard and Chicago re-ignited citizen concerns over gun laws. Meanwhile, a siege in Kenya by Shabab militants has the country’s army and security officials showing up to Westgate mall in full force to free hostages and locate the militants. Finally, Miss America crowns its first winner of Indian descent, stirring up a storm of comments on social media sites that question what it really means to be “American.”
Welcome back to NEWSFLASH, giving you the week’s biggest news stories!
Washington Navy Yard Shooting Claims 13 Lives
Monday morning at 8:20am EST, a lone gunman entered the Washington Navy Yard’s Building 197 and opened fire, claiming 12 civilian lives before police officers took him down.
Former military contractor Aaron Alexis, 34, was identified as the gunman two hours after he was shot. The police were initially hunting for two other suspects but called off the search later that evening.
While investigators have not yet determined Alexis’ motive, they suspect that a workplace dispute may be behind the rampage. Alexis was reportedly underperforming at his contracting job, which involved upgrading computers in the Navy Yard building, and had been told so. An examination of the crime scene revealed that Alexis had marched to the fourth floor where he found his first targets, many of whom had been working with the gunman.
Further investigations revealed that Alexis’ mental health was also deteriorating. He was treated for insomnia at a hospital near the end of August, but the contractor complained of hearing voices that kept him from falling asleep. Alexis never followed up with any primary care providers as instructed.
Memorial services will be held all day Sunday to honor the victims. The events will take place at Marine Barracks Washington situated near Navy Yard.
59 Dead in Siege on Kenyan Mall
59 civilians were killed and more than 175 injured when a squadron Al-Shabab militants stormed Nairobi’s Westgate mall, holding hostages that have yet to be released.
Al-Shabab, an Islamist militant group based in Somalia, launched what U.N. officials have deemed a two-pronged assault as gunmen attacked the mall. The group has claimed that the attack is in retaliation for Kenya’s military activities in Somalia, where Kenyan troops were stationed two years ago.
A number of foreigners, along with a popular radio host, are among the dead, including two Canadians, two French citizens, a Ghanaian poet and professor. Four Americans were reportedly injured, but no American casualties have been recorded.
Westgate mall was long seen as a symbol of Kenya’s rising economy, enticing visitors with its boutique stores and cuisine. However, Westgate’s status as a popular and up-scale mall also caused U.S. security officials to consider it as a potentially dangerous terrorist target in Nairobi.
The Kenyan military and security personnel are still working their way around the mall to free survivors, many of whom are still being held hostage, and locate the remaining gunmen.
The New York Times’ photographer, Tyler Hicks, was at the scene and compiled a slideshow of his photos at the scene (WARNING: Slideshow contains graphic images).
13 Civilians, Including 3-Year-Old Boy, Wounded in Chicago Shooting Incident
Days after the Washington Navy Yard incident, 13 were injured in a shooting on Chicago’s South Side Thursday night. One of the wounded was a 3-year-old boy who was shot in the cheek.
All 13 were at a basketball court in Cornell Square Park when they were shot at with an assault rifle. The injured ranged from age 3 to 41 and all were rushed to emergency care.
As many as three men are being sought, though no new developments have sprung up in the past few days.
While no deaths resulted from the incident, the shooting did shed national light on the gun violence that constantly plagues Chicago. Murder rates may be on the decline from last year, but a recent FBI crime statistics report revealed that Chicago was the murder capital of the U.S. in 2012. Many of these homicides resulted from gang-related violence, one of the Chicago South Side’s most pressing issues that has remained unaddressed for decades.
Miss America Crowns First Winner of Indian Descent
Nina Davuluri, 24, was crowned Miss America on Sunday night, becoming the first Indian-American to claim the tiara in a win that ignited a nationwide discussion on American culture and identity.
The University of Michigan alum’s competition platform was “Celebrating Diversity Through Cultural Competency.” For her talent portion, Davuluri performed a Bollywood fusion piece choreographed by Nakul Dev Mahajan that demonstrated her grasp of both classic and modern Indian dance styles. She is also a huge advocate for leading a healthy lifestyle after long battles with obesity and bulimia when she was younger.
But Davuluri’s win did not please everyone. As many celebrated the Miss America victory, outraged Tweets and comments appeared that opposed Davuluri, believing that she wasn’t “American enough” for the title. The most disparaging comments, however, took Davuluri’s Indian heritage and claimed that she was an Arab and even a “terrorist,” words that harkened back to 2010 when Rima Fakih won Miss USA. Fakih’s Lebanese heritage led many outraged citizens to link her to the Hezbollah terrorist group.
Davuluri immediately brushed the racist remarks aside.
“I’m so happy this organization has embraced diversity,” said Davuluri in a press conference. “I’m thankful there are children watching at home who can finally relate to a new Miss America.”
The new Miss USA is set to work with the Department of Education in Washington, DC this year. There, Davuluri will serve as a spokesperson for STEM research and development.