Three people were killed and seven injured when a truck ploughed “at high speed” into a group of people celebrating the Fourth of July holiday in New York City just before 9pm.

New York Mayor Eric Adams said at a news conference late Thursday that the driver of a gray Ford F-150 pickup truck that drove onto the sidewalk and into “congested” Corlears Hook Park was “under the influence.”

The New York Police Department (NYPD) has launched an investigation but reiterated that at this stage of the investigation, “we do not believe this was a terrorism-related event” and instead investigators believe “alcohol played a role.”

Fire and emergency medical services (EMS) personnel worked together to assist the victims “to lift the vehicle off the victims.” The extent of injuries sustained by the other non-critical victims is still being assessed.

The incident on Thursday evening followed shootings elsewhere in the United States on Independence Day, including that of 27-year-old police officer Jamieson Ritter, who was serving a prison sentence for an assault in Cleveland.

Two women, ages 42 and 44, were shot dead in a Chicago apartment building following a personal dispute, local police said. Three juvenile boys were wounded in the same shooting.

In Shreveport, Louisiana, a 19-year-old, identified by authorities as Deontrell D. Jackson, was found with a fatal gunshot wound to the chest in a driveway after reports of a shooting early Thursday morning. Local KSLA reported that Jackson died at 34^t Shreveport murder case so far in 2024.

In West Philadelphia, police discovered a man “with gunshot wounds throughout his body” Thursday morning. The victim was in critical condition and taken to a hospital for treatment. No weapon was found and no arrests have been made.