Photo: 400tmax / iStock / Getty Images
Authorities in Holyoke, Massachusetts, said multiple people were shot on Wednesday (October 4) afternoon. The police received numerous 911 calls as their ShotSpotter equipment detected gunfire in the downtown area.
"Shortly before 1 p.m. today, there was a shooting at the intersection of Maple and Sargeant Streets in Holyoke. There were multiple gunshot victims. The police investigation is active and ongoing," the office of Holyoke Mayor Joshua Garcia said in a statement.
Officials did not provide details about the number of victims or the severity of their injuries. There is no information about possible suspects or a motive for the shooting.
According to the Boston Globe, some of the victims were on a bus that was passing through the neighborhood when shots rang out.
The shooting occurred just hours after the police department held a press conference about gun violence. During the briefing, officials urged members of the public to call 911 when they hear gunshots.
Holyoke Police Chief David Pratt said that the department's ShotSpotter equipment has detected 113 incidents involving gunfire since being installed last March. Of those incidents, 72 were reported near a playground, and 27 occurred near a school.
However, the department only received 911 calls in 12% of the incidents.
"I know one of the big factors people always think, 'someone will call, I heard it, but someone else will call.' They're not calling," Pratt said. "Know that if that's the reason, call. Because we need the information. ShotSpotter is doing an amazing job getting us into the area, into the right area of where we need to be. We need the public to help us with these calls to bring it home so that we can make arrests, we can recover evidence quicker."