By Adam Swift
State Police closed Revere Beach on Sunday after three people were hospitalized following two separate shootings on the beach.
Police responded to the first reported shooting at 123 Centennial Ave. around 7 p.m. on Sunday evening. A 17-year-old girl was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital with a gunshot wound to her lower body. The injury was non-life threatening, according to state police.
The girl was apparently wounded when shots were fired into a group of people who were fighting. The girl was not the intended target, according to a preliminary investigation.
There was another shooting about an hour later in the area of the Shirley Ave. bathhouse. A 51-year-old woman was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital with gunshot wounds to her legs, and a 17-year-old boy who was grazed by a bullet declined treatment, according to the state police.
According to police, several juveniles were detained and interviewed on
Sunday night, but none had been charged in connection with the shootings. One male juvenile was arrested for illegal possession of a firearm following the second shooting, but it was yet to be determined if he was involved in the shooting, according to state police.
As of Monday, state and local police were continuing to investigate the shootings, and a state police spokesperson said there was no evidence at the time that the shootings were related.
Revere Beach reopened on Monday morning.
“As we enter the warmer months, safety on Revere Beach is always a major priority for the City. The type of violence we saw over the weekend will absolutely not be tolerated in our community. We are actively working with public safety partners to ensure a family friendly environment at America’s first public beach. Safety is our first priority, and we will continue to work with Mass State Police, Revere Police, DCR and other public safety stakeholders to ensure this weekend doesn’t set the stage for the rest of the summer,†said acting Mayor Patrick Keefe in a statement.
Keefe went on to state that there is typically an increased state police presence along the beach beginning July 1, but that the police presence would be stepped up immediately to help preserve the peace along the beach.
Anyone who may have information or witnessed either shootings on Sunday is asked to contact the State Police Detective Unit for Suffolk County (SPDU) at 617-727-8817.
