Five shot near Dominican Festival in Franklin Park
Three young men and two young women were taken to hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries.
Five people were injured in a shooting at the Dominican Festival in Franklin Park on Sunday night, Boston police said. The shooting occurred at approximately 8:43 p.m. as the festival was winding down. Police Commissioner Michael Cox said that officers heard multiple gunshots coming from the crowd and found five victims with gunshot wounds near Circuit Drive. The victims, three young men and two young women, were taken to local hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries. No arrests have been made.
Cox said that the shooting was a “pretty large crime scene” and asked for the public's help in identifying the assailant. He urged anyone with video footage or information to come forward. "This really marred a pretty successful event for the folks here," Cox said.
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu thanked emergency responders for their quick actions and expressed her disappointment at the violence. "I’m grateful to the festival organizers for hosting such a welcoming and well-attended event that thousands of people enjoyed throughout the day, and I’m deeply disturbed that anyone would seek to disrupt this family-friendly day with violence," Wu said.
Witnesses described the scene as chaotic, with police investigating the shooting alongside departing crowds and festive music from the waning celebration. Jaden Peguero, 19, heard shots about a 10-minute walk away and said that police immediately arrived and began escorting people out of the event.
"No one is shocked," Peguero said, reflecting on the violence.
In 2012, three young women were fatally shot in a parked car after attending the Dominican Festival. However, the celebration has not been marred by major violence in recent years.
Arthur Martinez and Sophia Diaz, both 20, said they were “right there” when the shooting took place but weren’t aware until later that anyone was injured. They said they saw people shooting up into the air and started running.
"I thought it was going to be cool," Diaz said, shaking her head.
Carly Pereira, 27, was at the festival when her car got a flat tire. She went to check it out in a parking lot outside the event, where she soon heard gunshots. She watched as police vehicles continued to flood the area where the festival had been just a short time earlier.
"It’s not new," she said of the violence.
Cox said that the shooting was a “pretty large crime scene” and asked for the public's help in identifying the assailant. He urged anyone with video footage or information to come forward. "This really marred a pretty successful event for the folks here," Cox said.
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu thanked emergency responders for their quick actions and expressed her disappointment at the violence. "I’m grateful to the festival organizers for hosting such a welcoming and well-attended event that thousands of people enjoyed throughout the day, and I’m deeply disturbed that anyone would seek to disrupt this family-friendly day with violence," Wu said.
Witnesses described the scene as chaotic, with police investigating the shooting alongside departing crowds and festive music from the waning celebration. Jaden Peguero, 19, heard shots about a 10-minute walk away and said that police immediately arrived and began escorting people out of the event.
"No one is shocked," Peguero said, reflecting on the violence.
In 2012, three young women were fatally shot in a parked car after attending the Dominican Festival. However, the celebration has not been marred by major violence in recent years.
Arthur Martinez and Sophia Diaz, both 20, said they were “right there” when the shooting took place but weren’t aware until later that anyone was injured. They said they saw people shooting up into the air and started running.
"I thought it was going to be cool," Diaz said, shaking her head.
Carly Pereira, 27, was at the festival when her car got a flat tire. She went to check it out in a parking lot outside the event, where she soon heard gunshots. She watched as police vehicles continued to flood the area where the festival had been just a short time earlier.
"It’s not new," she said of the violence.