Three gunshots and a stolen moped punctuated World Cup fan celebrations in Boston on Monday night, serving as a stark reminder of America's ongoing gun violence crisis. The incident occurred around 10:35 p.m. in the city's theater district as media personnel returned from a match in Foxborough.
Witnesses reported seeing five or six scooters emerge, with one cutting aggressively in front of another, causing the rider to fall. A physical altercation ensued between the riders, escalating when others joined in, some wearing cloth masks. Amid the commotion, three gunshots were heard, followed by the sound of scooters speeding away.
Emerging from a nearby pizza establishment, witnesses saw a man lying on the ground, clutching his stomach and bleeding heavily onto the street. Emergency services arrived, and the area was cordoned off. Crash debris and bloodstains remained on the tarmac hours later.
Local reports indicated the incident began over a stolen moped, and that the injured individual was expected to survive. Two other individuals were reportedly injured in the incident.
This event occurred in proximity to areas where World Cup fans were gathering. Similar incidents have been reported elsewhere in the U.S. during the tournament, including a fatal shooting near England's training base in Kansas City on June 16, an incident at a fan zone in San Jose on Sunday, and a shooting that injured four people at a watch party in Brockton, Massachusetts, last Friday. In Brockton, four people were shot at a World Cup celebration the previous week.
According to the Gun Violence Archive, the United States has recorded 6,372 gun deaths and 11,667 injuries this year. Estimates suggest there are approximately 500 million civilian-owned guns in the country.