One dead and several injured after mass shooting at Chick-fil-A in New Jersey

At least six people were shot, including one fatally, at a fast-food chain restaurant in Union Township, New Jersey, on Saturday night, according to preliminary reports.The Gun Violence Archive, a nonpartisan reference resource, listed the reported shooting at the Chick-fil-A restaurant in the 2300 block of Route 22 as the 100th mass shooting documented in the US this year, as of Sunday. The archive defines mass shootings as cases in which four or more victims are wounded or killed.As cited by the archive, New Jersey-based news outlet RLS Media reported that Saturday’s shooting erupted at the Chick-fil-A location at about 8.40pm. Five people whose conditions were not immediately known were taken to hospitals after the shooting, and one was pronounced dead on the scene. Dozens of patrons – meanwhile – scrambled to safety during the violence, according to RLS Media’s reporting, which attributed the victim information to officials.WABC of nearby New York City reported that employees of the eatery were still inside after 11pm on Saturday, and their family members waited outside. One man who was waiting told a reporter for the outlet that his son, a Chick-fil-A employee, had said several of his co-workers were wounded in the shooting after multiple masked people entered the restaurant.It was a “war zone”, the father also said to WABC.WABC furthermore spoke with a ridesharing service driver who described hearing seven shots as he completed a trip nearby at the time of the attack.Both WABC and RLS Media reported that the local county prosecutor’s office was investigating the case. Authorities had not immediately released details about a suspect, a possible motive or any arrests.The New Jersey governor, Mikie Sherrill, published a statement on the social media platform X on Sunday in which she said she had been “briefed on the shooting last night in Union Township”.“As local law enforcement continues their investigation, we remain in close contact with officials on the ground,” Sherrill’s post said. “My thoughts are with those who were injured in the shooting, and with their families.”The US annually reports high numbers of mass shootings, particularly when compared with other high-income countries. Many in the US have therefore called for more substantial gun control, though Congress has been unable or unwilling to heed those pleas.Union Township has a population of about 60,000. It is about 17 miles west of New York City.