Two dead, several minors injured in Springfield shooting
crime
Authorities do not believe there is any ongoing danger to the public.
According to Hampden County District Attorney Anthony Gulluni, two people were killed and several minors injured in a shooting in Springfield on Monday afternoon.
The shooting happened at a house on Berkshire Ave. 176, a man and a woman are dead, Gulluni said meanwhile a press conference. Several victims are being treated at a hospital, some of them minors, he said.
Three children under the age of 13 were taken to a hospital after the shooting, MassLive reported. A girl was critically injured with gunshot wounds, one was seriously injured with a gunshot wound and the youngest, a boy, was not shot but taken to hospital for a check-up, the news website wrote.
The late woman was a grandmother who took care of the children while their parents were at work. MassLive reported. Police were called to the scene around 2:40 p.m
The person believed to be the shooter has died, Gulluni said. Both Gulluni and Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno stressed that in their opinion there was no ongoing threat to the public and that the shooting was not accidental. Gulluni said he will update the public with more information about the shooting soon.
Recent shootings in Springfield
Earlier Monday, Gulluni and local, state and federal police held an emergency press conference to address the “recent spike in gun violence” in the city.
While there were 21 shootings in Springfield between June 1 and August 14 in 2022 and 2023, there were only two homicides last year compared to 12 this year a press release from the Springfield Police Department. Four of the killings occurred on or after August 6, not counting Monday afternoon’s shooting.
“Right now there is some frustration about the violence in the city and in the region,” Gulluni said during Monday’s conference on the shooting. “But I can assure everyone that all resources will be used.”
One of the most recent fatal shootings was that of 29-year-old Springfield resident Emmanuel Hernandez-Garcia on Aug. 6, Gulluni said a press release Friday. He was shot dead on Hancock Street, near the junction with Union Street, at around 7:45 p.m. and no arrests have been announced.
Two other deadly shootings occurred in Springfield over the weekend. WWLP reported on Monday.
The recent fatal shootings were targeted and believed to be unrelated, Springfield Police Commissioner Cheryl Clapprood said in the release. The majority of suspects in these homicides have a history of using illegal firearms.
“What we’re seeing is more full-auto firearms and ghost guns than ever before, and while there’s been a slight uptick in shootings this year, we’ve seen more than that.” [a] 70% more firepower that we recover. That’s worrying,” Clapprood said.
“I assure you that our dedicated Homicide Unit is working around the clock to bring justice to the families of these victims.”
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