An 18-year-old female who just graduated from Boston Collaborative High School in the Seaport suffered gunshot wounds that city Police Commissioner Michael Cox described as not life-threatening in an altercation following the ceremony, he said.
Speaking to reporters in the bustling neighborhood along the waterfront, Cox said the shooting did not occur at the graduation but took place at another location in the vicinity Thursday morning. The commissioner declined to comment on whether the suspect was a fellow graduate.
“We believe that this was not a random event so we don’t believe the public has anything further to be worried about,” Cox said, “but we are still investigating this.”
Officers responded to a report of the brazen daylight shooting in the area of 200 Pier 4 Boulevard just before 11:45 a.m., finding the woman suffering from gunshot wounds, Cox said. First responders treated the victim on scene and brought her to a hospital for further care, he said.
Preliminary investigation findings suggest there could have been a dispute before graduation, but Cox said the circumstances of the shooting remain under investigation. He added that officers are “securing” several scenes across the neighborhood.
“To say this is an unfortunate incident would be an understatement. This is a travesty. This should not happen,” Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden said. “High school students attending a graduation on a beautiful day like today shouldn’t have that day marched with a shooting taking place, and a young woman having to go to the hospital.”
Hayden declined to provide further information, saying his office would bring those responsible “to justice” while asking the suspect or suspects to “turn themselves in immediately.”
“We are in the sprawls of an active investigation,” the DA said. “We need the community’s help. We need people who know something to say something. We will pursue this case vigorously.”
