Three weeks after a student was stabbed at Jeremiah Burke High School, another 18-year-old student was shot by a fellow peer outside the high school. According to Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and the Boston Police, the incident occurred around 9:30 a.m., outside the high school doors. The injured student was rushed to the hospital, while the police arrested the alleged shooter and confiscated the gun used during the assault. The Boston Police Department said that the 17-year-old assailant was arrested and will be imposed with assault and weapon charges.
The teen was taken to a hospital and is currently in stable condition. According to Boston Police Department investigators, he was shot in the stomach. The suspect, a student whom the authorities did not name, is in custody and is expected to face certain charges, according to BPD. However, authorities say the inquiry is still ongoing, and no motive has been found.
While looking for evidence, police blocked off the intersection of Washington Street and Columbia Road for several hours. At midday, they reopened it.
The area surrounding Jeremiah Burke High School had robust public safety measures after the incident. On Tuesday night, Suffolk Dist. Att. Kevin Hayden said he would be present for the arraignment.
“When you have students packing guns along with their school books, it’s perfectly clear how perilous this problem has become. I dearly hope this public crisis will get the societal attention it deserves,” Hayden said in a statement Tuesday night, as reported by the Boston Globe.
At a press conference at the school, Mayor Wu commended the community members, and said they have already experienced trauma this year. “What happened today is not okay.” Wu expressed her grief by saying, “my heart breaks as a mom and as a resident of the city.”
Boston 25 News contacted Boston Public Schools’ new superintendent Mary Skipper about the shooting incident. Skipper said that communication is essential and one of her top priorities.
“I want to have our communications pieces with our parents fully transparent and responsive. And so, this is something that we’re looking at across the board, both in school communications as well as at the district,” Skipper said to investigative reporter Kerry Kavanaugh.
According to Boston Police Commissioner Michael A. Cox, the shooting was yet another incident of the city’s intolerable gun violence. “This is another example of how guns and young people don’t mix at all,” he said.
This is the second incident to occur at Jeremiah Burke High School in the past month. Three weeks ago, a student was stabbed in the stomach and shoulder. Boston Police spokesman, Sergeant Detective John Boyle, said that the student stabbed the victim multiple times and fled the school. No arrest was made during the time this news was reported. According to the statement given by Max Baker, a spokesman for the Boston Public Schools, the victim was found in a stable situation after the incident.
The weapon used by the perpetrator was not identified until Sept. 12. Police and school officials were still investigating the case. They said: “Throughout the year, we do safety drills to ensure our students and staff are prepared for incidents like this. We also have safety officers who work in the building who are there as a layer of protection. Counselors and other support resources have been deployed to the school for any staff or students who may need the support.”
sources:
– https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/09/12/metro/student-stabbed-inside-jeremiah-burke-high-school-dorchester-police-say/
– https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/10/04/metro/one-person-shot-near-jeremiah-burke-high-school-dorchester-boston-police-say/
– https://www.boston25news.com/news/local/25-investigates-bps-superintendent-sites-communication-lag-with-parents-after-shooting/YRVLIB3X7RCHJIPTU4NUP3ZJHM/
– https://www.wgbh.org/news/local-news/2022/10/04/i-thought-my-kids-were-dead-students-families-call-for-change-after-shooting-at-dorchester-high-school