Hyde Park rocked by mass shooting that left 1 dead, 4 injured: Boston 'violence is officially out of control'
Published in News & Features
BOSTON — Hyde Park was left reeling Monday after investigators said someone walked into a restaurant there and “started shooting up the place,” leaving one dead and four others injured in the latest act of violence rocking Boston.
The mass shooting occurred just after midnight at Little Haiti International Cuisine, a creole restaurant located at 1184 Hyde Park Ave., according to police.
Police Commissioner Michael Cox said Monday that there was no update beyond what his department disclosed early that morning, which was that officers discovered five shooting victims upon arrival. They were all taken to the hospital, where one person died.
No other fatalities were reported by Cox, who provided no update on the condition of the four who remain alive. He added that the incident is under investigation, and while no arrests have been made and details have remained scarce early on, “We are pretty confident that we’re going to figure out what occurred there.”
“I’m fairly sure our investigators will spare no expense or leave no detail undone to make sure that we hold that person accountable,” Cox said.
Cox’s remarks came during an appearance with Mayor Michelle Wu at a National Night Out public safety event.
Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden said it’s unclear whether the incident was a targeted attack, but he said it was certainly not a random occurrence.
“No reason to believe it was random,” Hayden said. “It’s not like someone just went into the restaurant and started shooting up the place. Whether it was targeted or not at the specific individual, that’s a different question.
“It remains under investigation, but we’re making good progress, and we’re going to continue to do what we do in every single case, which is treat it like the most important case at any given time, because that’s what it is,” Hayden added. “We’re going to keep pressing hard to make sure every community in Boston is safe.”
Cox described the incident as an “isolated” occurrence, but suggested that there may be some retaliatory violence taking place. He urged residents to keep their cool following the latest attack.
“For the residents there, we just want to encourage people to certainly stay cool, calm and collected under the conditions that we’re seeing a pattern of isolated incidents throughout the city, where people are having skirmishes, whether it’s in their homes or businesses,” Cox said.
“I know it’s summertime. It’s still warm, but there’s resources out there to help people,” Cox added. “There’s one of the biggest resources of calling us if there’s any kind of dispute or problem of any sort.”
The brazen shooting sent shock waves throughout Boston, intensifying calls from the city’s largest police union for more cops on the street to counteract the summer violence that is tarring the mayor’s “safest major city” claim.
“5 SHOT. 1 DEAD in Hyde Park. The violence is officially out of control,” the Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association posted on X Monday. “The fact that this incident took place less than 700 feet from a police station is alarming and should have all concerned.
“Safest city in America? Something needs to change. Let’s start with BPD staffing levels,” the BPPA added.
Councilor Ed Flynn went further, saying that it’s time for Mayor Michelle Wu to ditch her safest major city claim, which he called “tone deaf,” in light of the “fourth mass shooting in the city in just over a month.”
“With all this activity that has since happened in such a short period of time, it is tone deaf if we continue to downplay residents’ concerns on violent crime,” Flynn said. “It is long past time to move on from campaign slogans and accept the reality for many Boston residents who no longer feel safe in their own neighborhoods.”
Boston needs “a larger police presence,” Flynn said, “but we also need a Massachusetts criminal justice system that values justice for survivors of crime, their families and law enforcement by holding people accountable when convicted for their own criminal wrongdoing, actions and behavior.”
At-Large City Councilor Erin Murphy posted early Monday that after “waking to reports of five more people shot” it ramps up the “urgency” of a briefing she’s calling for at this week’s council meeting on the summer’s public safety plan.
This all hits as the Boston Police and Mayor Wu are taking part in the annual National Night Out, which puts the focus on community policing.
Alongside Cox and Hayden in West Roxbury, Wu said, “I know the city is safe,” while pointing to crime statistics from the police department that show the city is “still at historic lows” for homicides and violence.
“That is no comfort to residents who have experienced the unimaginable, and we will not be satisfied or let up until we have eliminated violence from Boston,” Wu said.
Wu stuck to her safest major city claim, saying, “I say that on purpose, and I say that even though it would be easier not to say those words, but it’s important for us to remind all of our city teams, and our community that we hold ourselves accountable to the highest possible standards.”
She also joined Cox in defending police staffing levels, pointing to a recent recruiting class of 100-plus officers. Cox said there is no correlation between the recent uptick in violence and the number of cops on the streets, and does not believe more cops would have prevented it.
“But there is a core connection between community policing, working with people in the community, and making sure you address the core drivers of violence and crime,” Cox said. “That’s what we’re trying to do always.”
Cox said the department was at ideal staffing levels of 2,600 officers back in the 1980s, but “our crime rate was off the charts,” with an average of 100-plus homicides a year.
“The fact is, we do a tremendous amount with the officers we have because we are way more efficient and effective,” Cox said.
BPPA President Larry Calderone shot back, “People aren’t interested in the department’s 30-40 year old statistics on crimes. They’re worried about being a victim of a violent crime today; like being shot, robbed or physically assaulted.
“And,” Calderone said, “most people feel safer when they see police officers in the neighborhood deterring crime, and making them less susceptible to becoming a victim.”
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