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On Sunday, at least 11 people were shot in a mass shooting at a Jacksonville, Florida shopping complex. The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said at least one suspect died at the scene, and hospitals are treating numerous people as a result of their injuries. As a more complete picture of the shooting develops, there are still ways to provide aid to victims. Here's how you can help Jacksonville shooting survivors and their families.
The shooting occurred at a gaming tournament for Madden 19. It was being live-streamed and viewers heard multiple gunshots on the feed, according to CNN. The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, which gave regular updates on Twitter, said the area where the shooting took place is now secure.
The Gun Violence Archive — which tracks daily incidents from more than 2,500 sources — found there have been at least 21 shootings in the last 24 hours, but the Jacksonville Landing shooting has been the only incident with more than one death. (The Gun Violence Archives seeks to be as inclusionary as possible so they track "all types of shootings," regardless of death toll, so that researchers can have a more accurate data set.) It turns out this isn't even the first shooting in Jacksonville, Florida, this week. One person died and two others were injured in a shooting outside a high school football game on Friday night in Jacksonville, according to WTLV.
The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office is urging citizens to double check the sources of injury and death numbers before sharing.
Donate Blood
An immediate way to help the shooting survivors and their families is to donate blood. (If you aren't in the Jacksonville area, donating blood is a still a great way to help people in your area.) There are requirements to donate blood, however, so make sure to double check those before you go.
Regular blood donation is important, but it becomes critical when a medical emergency like a mass shooting occurs. If you're eligible, try to make it to a donation center.
Call Your Elected Officials — And Then Vote
As Parkland shooting survivor and gun control advocate David Hogg pointed out shortly after the shooting on Twitter: "We know change will not come until we demand it this November and after." If you're unhappy with how elected representatives have handled shootings similar to the one at Jacksonville Landing, call them and tell them your vote is at stake.
And then, vote. Crush the Midterms is a tool that can help you figure out how you can help different campaigns and when different elections are taking place.
Fred Guttenberg, whose daughter Jaime Guttenberg was killed in the Parkland shooting in February, tweeted it's important to use these events as a reminder that a different world is possible. "To NRA, gun lobby, manufacturers and everyone else, enough of your moronic twisting of the 2nd amendment," Guttenberg wrote. "We have a right to public safety."
Turn Off The Autoplay Videos And Add Content Warnings
The shooting took place during a gaming tournament, and some of the first shots were captured on the livestream. The shooting displays similarities to the 2015 shooting of Alison Parker and Adam Ward, a Virginia on-camera local news reporter and a cameraman, who were shot and killed on live television. Videos of their shooting and deaths were shared and reposted quickly after that incident. And now, it's important to remember the lessons learned from that tragedy.
To help survivors of the Jacksonville Landing shooting, add content warnings, so survivors and family members know what to expect when they open a post or click on a link. Turning off autoplay videos can help you, too. Consuming the latest video of a tragedy is not necessary to still be empathetic and mourn the victims of yet another act of gun violence.
Jacksonville Landing is just the latest shooting in America. In fact, Vox found that there have been at least 1,822 mass shootings since Sandy Hook in 2012. Take time to figure out what's the best way for you to help survivors.
