Massachusetts authorities said seven people were shot early Sunday during a large gathering in a Methuen shopping area. Methuen Police Chief Scott McNamara said that around 1:55 a.m. Sunday, officers responded to 100 Lindberg Ave. after several 911 callers reported a shooting in that area. Responding officers found seven people with gunshot wounds. Essex County District Attorney Paul Tucker said two of the shooting victims remained in critical condition as of Sunday morning. McNamara and Tucker said an eighth person suffered serious head injuries when he fell while fleeing the scene. Tucker said the victims are of different ages. from late adolescence to 22 years old, and that one of them was transported by medical helicopter to a hospital in the area. Five of the seven victims who were hospitalized are in stable condition, according to the district attorney. McNamara said the shooting occurred during a spontaneous gathering organized through social media. During these types of gatherings, young people gather in an empty parking lot to party while listening to loud music, according to the police chief. “I want to assure our community that while these spontaneous car club gatherings generally do not escalate into this type of violence, it has been and will continue to be our policy to take law enforcement action wherever appropriate to discourage this activity from occurring.” First of all,” McNamara said. Tucker said there were hundreds of people at this gathering when the shooting occurred. “It’s pretty amazing that with the amount of ballistic evidence we’re recovering, more people weren’t hurt,” the district attorney said. No arrests have been made in connection with the shooting at this time. “We have some evidence and some solid leads, but we don’t have any suspects at this time,” McNamara said. Tucker said anyone with information about the shooting is asked to contact Methuen police.
Massachusetts authorities said seven people were shot early Sunday during a large gathering in a Methuen shopping area.
Methuen Police Chief Scott McNamara said that around 1:55 a.m. Sunday, officers responded to 100 Lindberg Ave. after several 911 callers reported a shooting in that area.
Responding officers found seven people with gunshot wounds. Essex County District Attorney Paul Tucker said two of the shooting victims remained in critical condition as of Sunday morning.
McNamara and Tucker said an eighth person suffered serious head injuries when he fell while fleeing the scene.
Tucker said the victims range in age from their teens to 22, and one of them was taken by medical helicopter to an area hospital. Five of the seven victims who were hospitalized are in stable condition, according to the district attorney.
McNamara said the shooting occurred during a spontaneous gathering organized through social media. During these types of gatherings, young people gather in an empty parking lot to have fun while listening to loud music, according to the police chief.
“I want to assure our community that while these spontaneous car club gatherings generally do not lead to this type of violence, it has been and will continue to be our policy to take law enforcement action where appropriate to discourage this activity from occurring in the first place,” McNamara said.
Tucker said there were hundreds of people at this gathering when the shooting occurred.
“It’s pretty surprising that with the amount of ballistics evidence we’re recovering, more people were not injured,” the district attorney said.
So far no arrests have been made in connection with the shooting.
“We have some evidence and some solid leads, but we don’t have any suspects at this time,” McNamara said.
Tucker said anyone with information about the shooting should contact Methuen police.
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