'Heartbreaking' Shooting At Worcester Caribbean Carnival Leaves 2 Injured

WORCESTER, MA — The 10th annual Worcester Caribbean American Carnival was cut short Sunday night after a shooting near the event that left two bystanders injured, according to Worcester police.

The shooting happened around 6 p.m. near the intersection of Boynton and Salisbury streets, adjacent to where the main carnival events were happening inside Institute Park. A 15-year-old and a 23-year-old were treated for non-life threatening injuries, Worcester police said.

"Both shooting victims appear to be innocent bystanders who were unrelated to the dispute and were not intentionally targeted," Worcester police said in a news release late Sunday.

Police did not immediately announce any arrests related to the shooting.

Worcester police shut down the festival shortly after the shooting. The event typically begins with a parade along Main Street beginning near City Hall, and continues into the evening with more performances and vendors at Institute Park.

The shooting in Worcester came just after a day after gunfire marred Boston's annual Caribbean American carnival. Eight people were injured early Saturday morning near a parade, police reported. No one was injured seriously.

Gov. Maura Healey commented Monday on the Boston and Worcester shootings, and a string of shootings in Springfield.

"I'm heartbroken over the gun violence that occurred this weekend in Boston and Worcester amid proud celebrations of culture, community and joy," Healey said.

Festival organizer Jennifer Gaskin wished a speedy to recovery to the two victims, and lamented that the typically joyous celebration ended with violence. The event has been a staple of late August in Worcester since 2013.

"I just want to say to my community that this is not OK. Violence is not OK. We work so hard to do this event and bring us together as a community and to celebrate our culture. To have something like this happen, especially at our tenth anniversary celebration, is absolutely heartbreaking," Gaskin said in a video posted on social media Sunday night.

A broad swath of Worcester elected officials, who typically attend the event, reacted to the shooting, holding up the city's Caribbean-American carnival as an essential piece of local culture.

"These festivals allow us to showcase our traditions, share our stories, and come together as one, transcending barriers and promoting understanding," Mayor Joseph Petty said in a tweet.

Officials also said the celebration has been peaceful during its 10-year run. At-Large Councilor Khrystian King, who is Bermudian-American, praised Gaskin's leadership of the festival over the years, and the response in the wake of the shooting.

"The effective response was a direct result of the Worcester Caribbean American Carnival Association's safety planning, which was coordinated with the city of Worcester," King said. "This evening's violence is not a reflection of the past 10 years of WCAC's carnival. Meetings with stakeholders will occur over the coming days and weeks to debrief regarding the facts of this event. I wish all victims and witnesses space and access to resources for their varied recovery and coping needs."