Authorities are sorting through a chaotic early Sunday scene at the Route 5 shopping plaza in West Springfield after a non-fatal shooting left an 18-year-old man with gunshot injuries and a car burning in the Home Depot parking lot on Daggett Drive, officials said. Police said the victim later showed up at Baystate Medical Center, where he was treated and is in stable condition.
What investigators say
In a May 7 Facebook update, Hampden District Attorney Anthony D. Gulluni said the DA's State Police Detective Unit is working with the West Springfield Police Department on the case. According to the post, investigators recovered numerous shell casings at the shopping plaza and found a vehicle that had crashed into a cart corral and was fully engulfed in flames.
At the scene
Officers told Western Mass News they were called to the lot around 12:45 a.m. for reports of shots fired. When they arrived, several vehicles were leaving what police described as an impromptu car meet in the Home Depot parking area.
Western Mass News reports the burning vehicle showed apparent bullet holes and had been reported stolen out of Agawam. The outlet also reports that Springfield police later notified West Springfield authorities that an 18-year-old man had arrived at Baystate Medical Center with a gunshot wound. He was treated and released.
Investigation status
No arrests have been announced and investigators have not publicly discussed a possible motive, according to the DA's office. In the update posted to Facebook, officials said the victim remains in stable condition while detectives continue processing evidence and following leads in the case.
