‘Heinous Act’: Boston police ask public for help after 5 people shot in Franklin Park

BOSTON — Police in Boston are turning to the public for help tracking down whoever is responsible for opening fire on a crowd in Franklin Park, leaving five people wounded on Sunday night.

“We need to hold these people responsible whether it’s an individual or individuals responsible for this heinous act, you know shooting into a crowd,” Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox said Sunday night as he briefed the media on a shooting.

The shooting happened on Circuit Drive around 8:43 p.m. following a Dominican festival, according to Boston police.

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Franklin Park shooting

Cox said officers were in the process of clearing pedestrian traffic when they heard multiple gunshots coming from the crowd. Then the area turned into a large crime scene they had to work through.

Officers first found four victims who were taken to the hospital to be treated, then one additional victim, according to Cox.

All of the victims suffered non-life-threatening gunshot wounds.

Cox didn’t say the ages of the victims but identified them as 3 males and 2 females who were shot.

“It’s fully under investigation. We spared no expense, nor any law enforcement resources on this. You can’t come into our city and do these kinds of things and not expect to be held responsible,” Cox said.

The group that put on the festival said it’s been a successful celebration for 35 years.

“We regret these incidents, but as an organization, we disassociate ourselves from what happened. We take this opportunity to thank the more than 20,000 people who joined us to celebrate in a civic and peaceful manner, proudly showcasing our Dominican heritage,” said La Casa de la Cultura Dominicana en Boston.

Cox is asking that anyone who was at the festival and might have video of the shooting to come forward so the shooter or shooters who fired into the crowd will be held responsible.

“This incident really marred a pretty successful event for the folks here in a sense that these things happen when individuals come sometimes and just you know do stupid things and so you know we’re going to hold them accountable that’s why we need the public’s help and support on this one but this doesn’t really shouldn’t be happening in our city, not in this day and age,” he said.

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said she’s grateful to the festival organizers for hosting such a welcoming event.

“I’m deeply disturbed that anyone would seek to disrupt this family-friendly day with violence. I thank our first responders for acting quickly and join the Boston Police Department in asking the public to share all available information to hold accountable those responsible for this unacceptable violence,” said Mayor Wu.

Boston City Councilor Ed Flynn said he thinks the police department is understaffed.

“We are dramatically low on the number of police officers in the city of Boston and at some point, we have to have a serious conversation about the future of parades, festivals if we don’t have enough police on the streets of Boston,” said Flynn.

He said more needs to be done besides adding to the police force.

“I think we also have to have a zero-tolerance policy for anyone carrying a weapon and that includes state prison time, we can’t be lenient any longer,” Flynn said.

Photos from the scene on Monday morning showed the area littered with liquor bottles and other trash.

Some people walking through the park Monday said they feel anxious when they’re in a big crowd.

“Anytime I go around a lot of people I think is something going to happen like you’re kind of hypervigilant,” said Christy Pope, a Boston resident.

The investigation is active and ongoing.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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