Boston Police arrested a suspect after gunshots disrupted firefighters battling a blaze in Mattapan on Saturday. According to Boston 25 News, the shots originated from an apartment at 50 Fairlawn Avenue as first responders arrived around 11:35 a.m. Fortunately, no injuries were reported from the gunfire, but a male suspect did sustain a lower-body injury during his arrest.
Residents were forced to evacuate as SWAT teams and officers secured the scene. The suspect, whose identity remains undisclosed, was transported to the hospital subsequently. Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox confirmed that a gun was recovered at the scene but details about the caliber and specific charges the suspect might face have not been clarified. As the standoff came to an end, fire crews were able to suppress the remaining flames which originated on the first floor and extended to the second and third floors, said Boston Fire Deputy Chief Michael Doherty as reported by WHDH.
During the incident, residents expressed their fears. "It was very scary in the moment because I wasn’t really thinking, I just wanted to get out of the house with my kids, that’s all," a local woman told WHDH. Mayor Michelle Wu praised both first responders and the inhabitants who endured the frightening ordeal. "Our first responders are ready at a moments notice for whatever might come there way, and the situations like we saw today are extremely unpredictable," Wu said in a statement obtained by NBC Boston.
Edward Kelly, President of the International Association of Fire Fighters, labeled the shooting incident as "unacceptable." He emphasized that while responders are accustomed to risk, "being shot at is unacceptable." Firefighters' union Boston Firefighters IAFF Local 718 demanded a thorough investigation and that the perpetrator be prosecuted fully. Meanwhile, police kept part of Cummings Highway shut down during the unfolding situation, and no further information was made immediately available concerning the case.
