What began as a day of celebration for America’s 250th birthday ended in bloodshed across Boston’s neighborhoods. Two people were killed and 11 others wounded in five separate shootings overnight on July 4th into the early hours of July 5th, most of them concentrated in Roxbury and Dorchester — the heart of the city’s Haitian and Caribbean communities.
Mayor Michelle Wu and Police Commissioner Michael Cox held a press conference Sunday morning to address what Cox described as an “unusually high volume of calls and serious incidents throughout the city.”
“It was a long and difficult night last night,” Wu said. “Our first responders and community safety teams were out throughout the night. This is a busy time of year, and when we see firearms present at large gatherings, that is never, never a recipe for peaceful celebrations.”
No arrests had been announced as of Sunday. The victims had not yet been publicly identified. The Boston Police Homicide Unit is investigating both fatal shootings, according to the Boston Herald.
The shootings, one by one
The violence began shortly before midnight. At 11:54 p.m. on Saturday, officers from District B-2 responded to a person shot at 13 Fayston Street in Roxbury. The victim sustained life-threatening injuries and was transported to the hospital. No arrests were made,
Just after 12:30 a.m., officers spotted a shooting victim near 500 Blue Hill Avenue in Dorchester, in the area of Castlegate Road near Grove Hall. Three victims were found at the scene and transported by Boston EMS. One was pronounced dead at the hospital. Two others sustained non-life-threatening injuries, and a fourth victim later walked into a hospital on their own with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound. Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association President Larry Calderone said the incident occurred during a street takeover party on the Mattapan-Dorchester line.
At 12:36 a.m., a victim arrived at a local hospital after being shot at 24 Horadan Way in Roxbury, with injuries not considered life-threatening.
At 1:56 a.m., officers from District C-11 responded to a person shot at 71 Draper Street in Dorchester. The injuries were non-life-threatening.
The deadliest incident came around 3:14 a.m., when officers responded to 120 George Street in Roxbury, near Langdon Street. Three victims were found with gunshot wounds. One was pronounced dead at the hospital. A second was hospitalized with life-threatening injuries. A third is expected to survive. Then, just after 4 a.m., three more victims arrived at the hospital on their own with non-life-threatening injuries from the same location — bringing the total from that single incident to six shot, one fatally. Boston EMS personnel reported an active gun battle in the area at the time.
Officers hit by fireworks
Beyond the shootings, the overnight response was further complicated by fireworks directed at police. A video obtained by the Boston Herald shows officers responding to a large crowd when a firework is tossed directly next to an officer. The device explodes, people scream, and individuals can be seen on the ground when the smoke clears.
“Fireworks, firearms, and alcohol — bad combination,” Cox said. “And that’s what you saw around these events.” He acknowledged that July 4th is always the peak day for call volume in Boston and likely every major American city, but said Sunday night’s volume was still unusually high.
Wu struck a careful tone, praising first responders while defending the city’s overall trajectory. She noted that as of June 28th, Boston Police crime statistics showed 50 people had been shot — five fatally — through that date, down 14 percent from the same period in 2025 and down more than 20 percent from the five-year average.
“We’re still at historic low numbers overall,” she said, “but that is never something we say to suggest that our work is slowing down or finished.” She added, “We will not be satisfied until there is no violence anywhere in the city of Boston.”
The mayor has faced sustained criticism in recent days after defending Boston’s status as America’s safest major city following a triple shooting the weekend before July 4th. City councilors and the Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association have called for more officers on the street to address the increase in warm-weather violence. Sunday’s death toll added fresh urgency to those calls.
Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden said his office is investigating and asked the public for help. “Last night was obviously a challenging one,” he said. “We need the community’s help and support.”
Anyone with information is urged to contact the Boston Police Homicide Unit at 617-343-4470. Anonymous tips may be submitted through the CrimeStoppers tip line at 1-800-494-TIPS, by texting “TIP” to CRIME (27463), or online through Boston Police CrimeStoppers.
A neighborhood’s grief
For the residents of Roxbury and Dorchester — neighborhoods that are home to the largest Haitian and Caribbean communities in New England — the overnight violence lands close to home in every sense. Blue Hill Avenue, George Street, Fayston Street, and Draper Street are not abstractions. They are the corridors where families live, where children go to school, where community organizations hold events, and where Haitian-owned businesses anchor block after block of daily life.
CTN extends its condolences to the families of the two people killed and wishes a full recovery to all those injured. We will continue to follow this story as victims are identified and investigations proceed.
Sources: Reporting by the Boston Herald (Colleen Cronin), the Boston Globe, and the Dorchester Reporter.
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Two killed, 11 others injured in July 4 shootings across Boston
Editorial Disclaimer:
This article was originally written in English. The French and Haitian Creole versions are produced using AI translation, and errors are possible — the English version is authoritative. CTN also uses AI to convert text into audio. Readers and listeners should rely on the English text where any discrepancy arises.
