Two dead, multiple minors hurt in Springfield shooting

Two people are dead and multiple minors were hurt as the result of a shooting in Springfield Monday afternoon, according to Hampden County District Attorney Anthony Gulluni.

The shooting happened at a home at 176 Berkshire Ave., and a man and a woman are dead, Gulluni said during a press conference. Multiple victims are being treated at a hospital, and some of them are minors, he said.

Three children under the age of 13 were taken to a hospital after the shooting, MassLive reported. One girl was critically injured by gunshot wounds, one was seriously injured by a gunshot wound, and the youngest, a boy, was not shot but was brought to the hospital to be examined, the news website wrote.

The woman who died was a grandmother who was babysitting the kids 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 they do not believe there is any ongoing threat to the public, and that the shooting was not random. Gulluni said he would update the public with more information about the shooting soon.

Recent shootings in Springfield

Earlier on Monday, Gulluni and local, state, and federal police held an emergency press conference to address what they called a “recent uptick in gun violence” in the city.

While 21 shootings happened in Springfield between June 1 and Aug. 14 in both 2022 and 2023, last year, only two were homicides, while this year, 12 were homicides, according to a Springfield police press release. Four of the homicides happened on or after Aug. 6, not counting Monday afternoon’s shooting.

“There’s a level of frustration right now with the violence in the city and in the region,” Gulluni said during the conference about the Monday shooting. “But I can assure everyone that all resources are being deployed.”

One of the recent fatal shootings was that of 29-year-old Springfield resident Emmanuel Hernandez-Garcia on Aug. 6, Gulluni said in a press release Friday. Around 7:45 p.m., he was shot on Hancock Street near the intersection with Union Street, and so far, no arrests have been announced.

Two other fatal shootings happened over the weekend in Springfield, WWLP reported Monday.

The recent fatal shootings have been targeted and are believed to be unrelated, Springfield Police Superintendent Cheryl Clapprood said in the release. For the most part, the suspects in these homicides have a history with illegal firearms.

“What we are seeing is more fully automatic firearms and ghost guns than ever before, and while there is a slight increase in shootings this year, we have seen more than [a] 70% increase in the amount of firepower we recover. That is troubling,” Clapprood said.

“I do assure you, our dedicated Homicide Unit is working around the clock to try and bring justice to these victims’ families.”

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