An alleged fight between two people Sunday afternoon ended with gunfire and death, authorities reported. City police officers responded to a 12:30 p.m. report of gunshots at Parkside and Homan avenues. Police found a 17-year-old Black male identified as, Opium Leverette, shot in the back. He died less than a hour later at Capital Health Regional Medical Center. This homicide, like many others in the city, proposes an insight about the past — Remember when fights were physical confrontations between opposing parties. Losers tended to busted lips, swollen cheekbones, and bruised egos. Winners basked in vain glory. Nobody wielded weapons and pugilists made it home for dinner. A proliferation of guns in Trenton and many other U.S. destinations mixed with poor judgment jeopardizes youth. A new report from the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence entitled Gun Violence in the United States 2022: Examining the Burden Among Children and Teens reviewed data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Parkside Ave. scene mirrored CDC information that shows a continued epidemic of gun deaths, especially among Black youth. 48,204 people died from gunshots in the U.S. in 2022, including 27,032 suicides, the highest total recorded since the CDC began tracking firearm fatalities in 1968. The report shows Black male teens and young adults continue to suffer tremendous losses. Other key findings: There were 2,526 gun deaths in 2022 among 1- to 17-year-olds, averaging to nearly 7 per day. Firearms accounted for nearly a third of all deaths among 15- to 17-year-olds. From 2013 to 2022, the rates of gun suicide among Black youth ages 10 to 17 tripled and, for Hispanic youth ages 10 to 17, more than doubled. Black male teens and young adults (ages 15 to 34) accounted for 34% of all gun homicides during 2022, though they represented just 2% of the total U.S. population. The gun homicide rate for this group was 24 times higher than that for white males in this age group. Over half—55%—of deaths among Black older teens ages 15 to 17 in 2022 were caused by guns. In 2022, the gun homicide rate among Black female teens and young adults ages 15 to 34 was nine times higher than that of their white female counterparts. Across all age groups, American Indian/Alaskan Natives were five times more likely to die by gun homicide than their white counterparts. While Johns Hopkins identified numerous initiatives to reduce gun violence and homicides, gun owners can make immediate impact by locking away their weapons. Safe and secure gun storage saves lives. Acting Mercer County Prosecutor Theresa L. Hilton urges anyone with information about the shooting to contact MCHTF Det. Luis Vega at (609) 278-2720. L.A. Parker is a Trentonian columnist. Find him on Twitter @LAParker6 or email him at [email protected].