Early Saturday morning, a Boston community was rocked by a shooting that left several people injured, as reported by local law enforcement. The Boston Police Department was alerted to the situation at around 7:44 a.m., with the incident taking place at the junction of Blue Hill Avenue and Talbot Avenue, Officer Michael Torigian confirmed.
According to Torigian, seven victims were shot and rushed to local hospitals for treatment. Thankfully, none of the injuries were life-threatening. He also mentioned that guns were recovered from the scene and arrests have been made, though the investigation is still underway.
The shooting occurred near Franklin Park, where a Caribbean American festival was slated to happen. The same event last year was overshadowed by violence, with one person killed and several others injured during the J’ouvert and Carnival Parade.
The Boston Herald has highlighted a trend of violent incidents associated with Caribbean festivals in Boston and Cambridge. For example, on August 24, 2019, two men were involved in a shootout in front of police officers during Boston’s J’ouvert Parade. The suspects, identified as Michael Warner, 34, from Hyde Park and Atunbi Bryan, 27, from Brockton, were arrested in Dorchester in connection with the shooting.
In 2017, two men were shot at the Cambridge Caribbean Carnival, but their injuries were not life-threatening. In 2014, a 26-year-old woman named Dawnn Jaffier was caught in the crossfire between two rival gang members at the J’ouvert Parade in Boston and was tragically killed. The culprits, Keith Williams, 21, and Wesson Colas, 25, were later found guilty of her murder.
The Boston Caribbean Carnival has also been the site 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.