By Tiffany Williams –
A Caribbean Festival in Worcester, Massachusetts ended Saturday night with a 16-year-old and 23-year-old shot.
Worcester Police in a statement said “Officers assigned to the Caribbean Festival at Institute Park heard gunshots from the area of Salisbury and Boynton St. This caused a chaotic scene in which the large crowd was attempting to run to safety.”
The Officers, Worcester Police said, “ located a fifteen-year-old shooting victim and a twenty-three-year-old shooting victim and assisted both medically until they were both transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.”
The shooting incident happened just outside the Caribbean Festival on Boynton St near the intersection of Salisbury St.
The two victims, Worcester Police said, “Appear to be innocent bystanders who were unrelated to the dispute and were not intentionally targeted.”
Saturday night’s shooting in Worcester comes just over 24 hours after Boston Police responded to a shooting at the J’ouvert Parade, part of Boston’s Caribbean Festival in Dorchester.
This shooting in Boston happened about 7:44 AM, in the area of Blue Hill Avenue and Talbot Avenue in Dorchester.
“Six adult males and two females were shot,” Boston Police said. “Five males and one female victims were transported to area hospitals and two additional victims with graze wounds from the shooting declined treatment. The victim’s injuries are considered non-life threatening.”
Two individuals, who have been identified as Gerald Vick, 30 and Dwayne Francis, 30, both of Dorchester were arrested in the Boston shooting incident.
Boston Police also recovered two firearms. From Vick, officers recovered a 9mm pistol with a large capacity magazine, equipped with a “Glock switch” that enabled the firearm to fire continuously. From Francis, officers recovered a loaded 9mm Smith and Wesson pistol.
Boston Police said “Detectives from B-3 canvassed the area and obtained video which showed two males involved in the initial gunfire. One of the males involved in the shootout was shot in the leg during the exchange and limped into the tow lot after the shooting where he had a tourniquet applied to him by officers and was transported to a local hospital for treatment. He was later identified as Sebastian Fernandez 21 years of age. Fernandez was subsequently arrested for the shooting and is being guarded at a local hospital.”
“A second male in the video was observed wearing a black hooded shirt with white writing and black sweatpants. This individual fled on foot into the rear of the Boys and Girls Club towards Franklin Field and made good his escape,” Boston Police said. “A description was broadcasted and a few hours later at about 1:50 p.m. officers observed a male matching the description on Westview St. Officers stopped the individual to conduct a threshold inquiry and found the 17-year-old male from Dorchester to be in possession of a Polymer 80 pistol equipped with a “Glock switch”. He was placed under arrest for firearm possession, while his involvement in the prior incident is under investigation.”
Back in Worcester, no arrests have been made and Police say their investigation is ongoing.
Anyone with information about the Worcester incident, is asked to send an anonymous text to 274637 TIPWPD + your message or send an anonymous web based message at worcesterma.gov/police. Calls can also be made to the Worcester Police Detective Bureau at (508) 799-8651