A spate of shootings in a Boston neighborhood left multiple people injured on Saturday morning, according to local law enforcement. The Boston Police Department received a distress call at approximately 7:44 a.m., reporting an active shooter situation at the intersection of Blue Hill Avenue and Talbot Avenue, as stated by Officer Michael Torigian.
Torigian confirmed that seven individuals had been shot and subsequently transported to nearby hospitals. Fortunately, all injuries were deemed non-life threatening. He also noted that firearms had been retrieved from the scene and arrests had been made, although the investigation remains ongoing.
The incident occurred in close proximity to Franklin Park, where a Caribbean American festival was scheduled to take place. The previous year, the same event had been marred by violence, resulting in one fatality and several injuries during the J’ouvert and Carnival Parade.
The Boston Herald has reported a pattern of violent episodes linked to Caribbean festivals in both Boston and Cambridge. For instance, on August 24, 2019, two men engaged in a shootout in front of officers during Boston’s J’ouvert Parade. The suspects, Michael Warner, 34, of Hyde Park and Atunbi Bryan, 27, of Brockton, were apprehended in Dorchester in relation to the shooting.
In 2017, two individuals were shot at the Cambridge Caribbean Carnival, sustaining non-life threatening injuries. Furthermore, in 2014, a 26-year-old woman, Dawnn Jaffier, was tragically killed in a crossfire between two rival gang members at the J’ouvert Parade in Boston. The perpetrators, Keith Williams, 21, and Wesson Colas, 25, were later convicted of her murder.
The Boston Caribbean Carnival has also witnessed its share of violence. In 2010, three spectators were shot, one fatally, while in 2008, a man believed to be a carnival attendee was found stabbed to death in a Dorchester park. In 2007, four individuals were stabbed during festival activities.