Reports of drive-by shootings first dominated the headlines in the 1980s, and were largely associated with the infamous Los Angeles gang wars as well as the drug trade in cities such as Chicago. But readers of our daily report will notice that such shootings are not a remnant of the Reagan-Thatcher years: they’re happening all the time, in Texas, Alabama, Tennessee—and now Tupelo, Mississippi. That’s where Carol, the 39-year-old Asian elephant used in the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, was shot in a drive-by early Tuesday morning. At around 2:00 a.m., someone fired his gun into the BancorpSouth Arena parking lot where the circus animals were being kept.

We usually don’t write about animal shootings, though they are frequent. But it is worth noting that drive-by shootings are now such a big problem in America that even elephants aren’t exempt.

Carol is expected to make a full recovery. Here is today’s report.

—Jennifer Mascia

A 6-year-old boy was accidentally shot in the head by his 4-year-old neighbor and killed in Toms River, N.J., Monday night. Brandon Holt and his young neighbor were playing in the younger boy’s backyard when the pre-schooler went into his house, brought out a loaded .22-caliber rifle and shot the older boy in the head. Relatives described the boys as playing “pretend shooting” before the actual shooting. Police removed several other weapons from the younger boy’s home and are investigating whether the adults in the house were legally permitted to own the rifle.

—NJ.com

Rekia Kid, 22, was shot in the stomach by her 2-year-old son at her Lavinia, Tenn., home, Sunday. Investigators said the mother was sleeping with her three-week-old baby and toddler when the toddler found a Glock 9-mm stored underneath Kid’s pillow. “I’ve been with the Sheriffs Department for 20 years and never seen an accidental discharge like this,” Carroll County Sheriff Andy Dickson said. Kid is listed in serious but stable condition.

—WBBJ

A 3-year-old child in Sumter, S.C., is dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. The shooting at the Magnolia Manor Apartments was reported around 10 a.m. Tuesday. Neighbors told police that the child shot the gun after finding it in the apartment. The boy was visiting from Georgia, and the Sumter County coroner is trying to contact the child’s mother. No charges have been filed.

—MidlandsConnect.com

A 20-year-old man accidentally shot his sister’s boyfriend while showing him a gun at a gas station in Kissimmee, Fla, on Monday. Henry Gonzalez-Galay was charged with manslaughter after he took a revolver out of a book bag to show Henry Antonio Ortiz-Reyes, 25, when he accidentally fired it. Ortiz-Reyes later died from his injuries.

—Orlando Sentinel

A 17-year-old honor student was shot and killed by her Army recruiter, who then killed himself. The bodies of Michelle Miller and Staff Sgt. Adam Arndt, 31, were found Monday in Arndt’s Montgomery County, Md., apartment. Miller, who played varsity lacrosse and soccer, was recruited by the Army and planned to join after graduation.

—CBS Baltimore

83-year-old Otis James was found dead at his home in Highlands, Tex., Monday. James was discovered sitting in his living room and bleeding at about 8:30 p.m. when neighbors went to check on him. A 19-year-old man has been arrested and charged with capital murder.

—Houston Chronicle

A 27-year-old man died and a woman was wounded after a shooting in Mobile, Ala., Monday night. Brandon Paige, 27, and a 22-year-old woman were shot while sitting in a car in a parking lot. Detectives believe the shooting was not a random act. The shooting marks Mobile’s sixth homicide of the year and the second of the month.

—AL.com

A 23-year-old man and his 4-year-old daughter were shot while sitting in a vehicle in the Rosedale section of Baltimore, Md., Monday night. Police do not believe the shooting was random, but provided no further information. The investigation is ongoing. The double shooting was one of two incidents of gunfire in the county overnight: At about 12:50 a.m., a manager and five employees were closing Mo’s Seafood a few miles south when two masked men armed with handguns entered the restaurant. A struggle began between the manager and one of the gunmen and the gun discharged. The manager was struck in the chest; he was treated at the hospital.

—Baltimore Sun

A former maintenance worker opened fire Tuesday inside a Detroit medical facility, killing his ex-girlfriend before setting the building on fire. 35-year-old medical assistant Sharita Williams was granted a protection order against the man last week. The remains of a man were also recovered.

—Star-Telegram

44-year-old Augustine Hernandez was shot and killed on his front porch by his son in Balch Springs, Tex., Sunday afternoon. Jose Luis Hernandez, 21, was taken into custody Monday on a murder charge.

—Dallas Morning News

A drive-by shooting in Orange, Calif., Tuesday night left one person seriously injured. A 21-year-old man was in the 1900 block of East Adams Avenue shortly after 8:30 p.m. when a vehicle drove by and an occupant fired multiple gunshots. The man was taken to the hospital. An investigation is ongoing.

—Orange County Register

A 19-year-old man was shot to death and two other men were wounded in the Iron Triangle neighborhood of Richmond, Calif., Tuesday morning. Police found the three men sprawled in the street and on the sidewalk. One of the men, Dimarea Young, 19, was pronounced dead at the scene, and the two others were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. “It appears the victims were just walking in the neighborhood, in the street,” Detective Nicole Abetkov said, adding that the shooting is not gang-related.

—SF Gate

A woman was killed and three men were wounded when gunfire erupted on a crowded Philadelphia, Pa., block early Tuesday evening. Officers were called to the Kensington neighborhood at around 6 p.m. and found several people shot outside on the street. A 21-year-old woman who was shot twice in the torso was rushed to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Three other victims, men ages 18, 21 and 35, were taken to the hospital, each suffering multiple gunshot wounds to their legs and abdomen. All three were listed in stable condition.

—Philly.com

According to Slate’s gun-death tracker, an estimated 3,349 people have died as a result of gun violence in America since the Newtown massacre on December 14, 2012.