Revere Beach

State Police Close Revere Beach After 2 Shootings and Sporadic Fights

State police said they closed Revere Beach Sunday night to assist in restoring order.

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05/29/23 UPDATE: State police say the beach reopened to the public Monday. No arrests have been made yet in the shootings, which appear to be unrelated.

Massachusetts State Police closed Revere Beach Sunday night after two shootings and other sporadic fights amid massive crowds in the area.

It was a chaotic scene in the middle of Memorial Day weekend, with officers on loudspeakers telling everyone to go home as they announced the beach closure.

State police first said earlier in the evening that they had responded to a shooting that occurred near 123 Centennial Avenue in Revere around 7:10 p.m.. The shooting, about two blocks from the beach, prompted police to close Revere Beach Boulevard northbound at Eliot Circle on the beach’s southern tips to accommodate their investigation.

The victim has been identified as a 17-year-old girl. Police say she suffered a gunshot wound to her lower body. She was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital with what are believed to be non-life threatening injuries. She remained hospitalized Sunday night.

According to police, a preliminary investigation suggests the shooting occurred during a large fight at which point shots were fired into a group of people. Police say it is possible the teen was not the intended victim.

No one has been charged in this shooting, and the investigation remains active.

Less than an hour later, police responded to the scene of a second shooting around 8:05 p.m., this one on Revere Beach Boulevard near one of the bathhouses, around the same time that a large fight broke out among youths on the boulevard near the bandstand.

Police initially said they did not have details on the victim but said later Sunday night that two people were actually injured in the second shooting. According to police, a 51-year-old woman was shot in the legs. Her injuries are believed to be non-life threatening, and she was also taken to Massachusetts General Hospital, where she remained Sunday night. Police say she was not the intended victim in this shooting.

The additional victim hurt in the second shooting is a 17-year-old boy who was grazed by a gunshot, police said. He declined to be taken to a hospital. Investigators are working to determine if he was the intended victim.

Several minors have been detained and are being interviewed, police said, but no one has yet been charged in connection with the second shooting.

Police say it's not clear at this point if the shootings are connected. Investigators from both the Revere Police Department and state police have recovered ballistics evidence and are continuing to look into the two shootings to determine what happened.

Around an hour after the second shooting, at about 9:25 p.m., police said they had closed the beach to visitors to assist in restoring order as troopers continued to respond to altercations among groups in the area.

Numerous state and local police units responded to the beach area Sunday night, including patrols, detectives, K-9 teams and crime scene technicians. Boston police confirmed they were assisting outside agencies with an ongoing incident on Revere Beach.

A couple visiting from out of state told NBC10 Boston that they had went out for a walk when they saw all of the police.

"We were walking and we noticed a police presence and all of a sudden there were three shots and then a bunch of guys were running like crazy and I thought they were running from whatever it was but actually the police were chasing them on foot," Dennis Spangler said.

Prior to the outbreak of violence, there were already many patrols out Sunday on the boulevard -- that runs parallel to the beach -- due to the large Memorial Day weekend crowds throughout the day.

Many have flocked to New England's beaches this weekend to mark the unofficial start to summer as the region has been enjoying beautiful weather with sunny, clear skies and temperatures in the 70s and 80s.

Revere's acting mayor issued a statement Sunday night, saying, "Safety at Revere Beach is always a major priority, especially as we enter summer. The City will continue to work with our partners at the State to keep our beach welcoming and safe for all."

"This type of violence will not be tolerated and we will continue to work with our partners to create a family friendly environment at America’s first public beach this summer,” Acting Mayor Patrick M. Keefe Jr. said.

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