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Officials investigating spate of shootings within 12-hour span in Cambridge, Somerville, Belmont
The shootings mark the “most significant surge” in gun violence in Middlesex County since 2022.
Authorities are investigating three shootings that occurred within 12 hours in Cambridge, Somerville, and Belmont, officials said Wednesday.
The shootings mark the “most significant surge” in gun violence in Middlesex County since 2022, said Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan in a statement.
“The fact that over 50 shots were fired in very densely populated areas, some in the middle of the afternoon, is the type of brazen, dangerous conduct for which those responsible must be held accountable,” Ryan said.
Cambridge
At 2:15 p.m. on Monday, a Cambridge police officer witnessed and responded to a shooting near Bishop Allen Drive and Columbia Street, according to a statement from the district attorney’s office.
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The initial investigation suggests that two people who did not know each other engaged in a verbal altercation before one of them, a man wearing a mask, shot multiple gunshots at the other person, the statement noted.
No one was injured in the shooting.
Police later identified several juveniles suspected to have been involved in the shooting. One of them was arraigned on charges of possession of a large capacity magazine and ammunition, according to Ryan.
A second juvenile, officials said, was charged with assault and battery on a police officer and defacing property for throwing an object at an officer and damaging items in the interview room at the Cambridge Police Department.
Belmont
At 9:15 p.m. on Monday, Belmont police responded to a call reporting shots fired on Clark Lane, officials said.
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A preliminary investigation indicated that the victim and his son were outside an apartment complex when a vehicle sped by them and opened fire, striking the man in the leg, Ryan said.
Police recovered ballistic evidence at the scene, officials said.
Somerville
Hours later, just after midnight on Tuesday, Somerville police responded to reports of shots fired near Clarendon Hill Towers, located on Broadway in Somerville, the district attorney said.
A preliminary investigation found that a man, who may have been targeted, was outside an apartment complex when several people got out of a vehicle and started firing gunshots at him, authorities said.
Officers reportedly found 47 shell casings and other ballistic evidence at the scene.
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