Massachusetts

‘It Sounded Just Like Fireworks': 5 People Shot, 1 Person Stabbed Outside House Party in Brockton

No one has been arrested yet and Brockton police are asking anyone with information to come forward.

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Massachusetts State Police detectives and Brockton police are investigating after five people were shot and one person was stabbed outside a house party late Saturday night.

Brockton police say five men, four from Boston and one from Everett, were shot while partying outside 124 Laureston Street in Brockton on Saturday night.

One woman was also stabbed, Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz said Sunday.

The house was rented for the large, outdoor house party, according to a preliminary investigation.

Around 9:50 p.m. Saturday, a woman walked into the Brockton fire station on Main Street and requested medical assistance, Cruz said in a news release.

The victim was suffering from stab wounds and was given medical treatment, but then refused further treatment and left the station, according to Cruz.

Brockton police responded to the area and attempted to speak with the woman, but she was uncooperative, Cruz said.

The same woman later called Brockton police to request further medical assistance, and she was then taken to Good Samaritan Hospital, Cruz said.

Around 10:35 p.m., Brockton police were alerted to six gunshots in the area of Laureston Street. Upon arrival at 124 Laureston, police found a large crowd congregating in the yard and in the street, according to DA Cruz.

Officers learned five men had been shot at the party. Three men were taken to the hospital by ambulances, including one man who was seriously wounded, police said. Two other people made it to the hospital on their own with injuries that are not believed to be life threatening, police said.

Neighbors say there were at least a hundred people at the party.

They say police broke it up once, but everyone came back.

Debbie Andrade and her family were startled by the sound of gunfire.

“It sounded just like fireworks. It was just like pop, pop, pop, pop, pop," she said. "And then, all of a sudden, we heard tons of people running up the street, yelling."

Shayna Selter, who lives in the first-floor apartment at 124 Laureston, says she wasn’t involved and was staying inside with her kids. 

Selter says she was at her kitchen window when someone started shooting.

“The guy just dropped to the floor, he was bleeding out everywhere, and people started screaming, running, and hiding underneath tables,” Selter explained.

Neighbors say they were frustrated first by such a large crowd amid the coronavirus pandemic, but when those shots rang out, their frustration turned to fear for the safety of their families. 

“I mean any of our kids could’ve been outside playing, you just never know,” Andrade said.

Selter says she plans to move out of the area when her lease is up in November. 

“It’s just a bad neighborhood," she said. "I don’t want to raise my kids here."

Brockton Mayor Robert F. Sullivan said Sunday he was disappointed by the violence in the city.

"I am truly disappointed at the violence in our city, especially at a time when we all need to be coming together," Sullivan said in a statement. "Our police department is actively investigating this shooting and I am confident those responsible will be held accountable."

Sullivan also took the opportunity to remind residents that large parties and gatherings are not allowed under the state’s COVID-19 restrictions.

"We will enforce the rules to keep our citizens and our community safe," he said.

No one has been arrested yet and Brockton police are asking anyone with information to come forward.

The victims are all expected to survive.

Brockton police and detectives assigned to Plymouth County District Attorney Tim Cruz's Office are investigating.

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