Revere’s mayor, police chief vow to keep beach safe amid recent violence
Revere officials are seeking to reassure residents that the beaches are safe after a pair of shootings temporarily closed the popular spot over the weekend.
On Thursday, Revere police joined Interim Mayor Patrick Keefe and members of the Massachusetts State Police to tell members of the community that they are working on ramping up security and officers in the area as the summer is around the corner.
“We want people to come here and enjoy Revere Beach,” Chief David Callahan said. “People who come here with the intentions of being unruly and doing things they shouldn’t be doing and violent actions, they’re going to be held accountable.”
Two people were shot and one person was grazed by a bullet on Sunday, but none of the injuries were believed to be life-threatening, state police said.
The first shooting occurred near Shirley and Centennial Avenues, only two blocks from Revere Beach, around 7:11 p.m., according to state police. The 17-year-old female teen was struck after a large fight began and shots were fired into a large group of people. She was rushed to a Massachusetts General Hospital to be treated for her injuries.
Cellphone video captured by someone in the area shows the first shooting happening.
MSP says a second shooting occurred around 8:00 p.m. Police say a 51-year-old woman and a 17-year-old male teen were shot near one of the beach bathhouses around the same time a large fight between youths broke out near the Bandstand on Revere Beach Boulevard.
The woman was struck in her legs and was also transported to MGH. The 17-year-old teen grazed by the gunfire declined to be transported to a hospital.
The shootings happened about 15 minutes apart, but there’s no indication they were related.
Police have not yet made any arrests in connection with the first shooting but say they have a juvenile suspect or suspects in custody connected to the bathhouse shooting.
The shootings prompted an extensive police investigation. Hundreds of people were forced to exit Revere Beach and linger on nearby sidewalks as police set up a large crime scene and combed the area.
Chris Mancini who runs Save The Harbor/Save Bay, a non-profit that manages the metropolitan beach commission for the state beaches from Nahant to Nantasket says it’s not a place of violence. “People should feel safe here. 99 percent of the time there is not an issue,” said Mancini.
Keefe says the community has worked so hard to improve and preserve the country’s old public beach. “Three plus miles of crescent beach. We want to offer to families, and we want people to come down here and enjoy it,” said Keefe.
Anyone with information about either shooting or who witnessed them is asked to contact the State Police Detective Unit for Suffolk County at 617-727-8817.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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