In a tragic incident at a “pop-up party” in Houston on Saturday night, two teenagers were fatally shot and three others injured, including a 13-year-old girl, according to local authorities.

Officers responded to reports of an ongoing shooting around 11:20 PM local time. After arriving, Assistant Chief Luis Menendez-Sierra described the situation as “very hectic,” with a large crowd scattering from a makeshift club.

“This was one of those last-minute types of pop-up parties that have become common lately,” Menendez-Sierra stated at a news briefing.

The crowd mainly consisted of “mostly juveniles,” and many were “running in all directions,” as officers provided aid to those who had been shot, Menendez-Sierra added.

First responders discovered a 16-year-old boy who died at the scene. Additionally, a 16-year-old girl was rushed to Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, where she was later declared dead.

At least three other individuals were wounded, including a 13-year-old girl in critical condition at Texas Children’s Hospital, and a 19-year-old woman who went to the hospital independently, according to police reports.

According to Menendez-Sierra, there have been no suspects identified yet, and he urged anyone with information related to the shooting to come forward.

“Currently, we lack details about suspects or vehicles involved; our homicide investigation team is on it,” Menendez-Sierra explained. “We’re working to provide as much information to the public as possible.”

Officials: Violence took place at an unauthorized event

The shooting erupted at an unoccupied business on the city’s north side that was “just rented out” and converted into a temporary club, Menendez-Sierra noted. Authorities stated that this party was part of a growing trend on social media, where individuals organize unsanctioned and spontaneous gatherings.

Menendez-Sierra pointed out that such unauthorized events lack proper regulations and safeguards, which can lead to dangerous situations.

“These temporary and unsanctioned pop-up parties can lead to violence and disarray very quickly,” stated Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez via a post on X. “These events often come together rapidly through social media, raising significant public safety concerns; young people should avoid them for their own well-being.”

Recent gun violence statistics in the U.S.

This shooting marks yet another instance of gun violence in the United States. According to data from the Gun Violence Archive, an organization that tracks gun violence incidents across the U.S., there have been almost 16,000 such incidents this year alone.

Earlier in the year, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy labeled gun violence an “urgent public health crisis” and called for initiatives similar to those applied to combat smoking and traffic accidents. Murthy reported that approximately 50,000 individuals die from gun violence each year.

The rate of firearm-related fatalities “hit a near three-decade high in 2021,” according to the surgeon general’s advisory report covering 39 pages. An increase in firearm homicides since 2012, along with a rise in firearm-related suicides over the past two decades, is fueling this crisis.

A report released in September by the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions revealed that firearms have been the leading cause of death for children and teenagers in the U.S. for the third year in a row, with the majority of gun-related deaths in this age group being homicides.

“Gun-related death rates for this demographic have surged by 106 percent since 2013, and they have been the leading cause of death among this group since 2020,” according to the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions.