At approximately 6:52 pm on Sept. 12, six shots were fired at 139 Tremont Street in the Boston Commons near the gazebo. One man was shot and has sustained life threatening injuries. Three Suspects are currently in custody.
Gun shots set Emerson College into high alert
The gun shots led Emerson College to send out an emergency alert, urging their students to take shelter and stay safe.
The emergency alert read, “If you are on campus, go to the nearest available room and lock/barricade the doors, and silence phones. If you are not on campus, stay away until further updates.”
Students from Emerson College who were having class in the Boston Commons sent out Snap Chat stories after hearing the shots, unaware of what exactly was happening.
Emerson College’s emergency statement to the faculty, students, and parents alerted the other students and sent the campus into a lockdown. The lockdown ended at 7:30 pm after receiving the all clear from the Emerson College Campus Police.
Other students have reported seeing the shooter on the green line tracks, but this has not been confirmed. However, the green line and the red line are currently experiencing delays due to “police activity.”
Boston Commons shooting enforces need for stricter gun control
While no other information is currently available at the time, the shooting is yet another call to action for stricter gun control in the United States.
Bill 719 was a recent attempt by Governor Kate Brown from Oregon to reduce gun violence by reporting and confiscating firearms from a person who is mentally unsound.
The bill was fought by Republican opponents, who claim the bill is unconstitutional. The bill is set to take effect in January 2018, however, Republicans may use this time to get the signatures needed to halt the bill.
Despite some politicians urging stricter gun control, President Trump has been a consistent opponent of furthering gun control on a national level.
When shots were fired at the congressional baseball game in Virginia, injuring Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana, this past June, Trump was criticized for simply tweeting that “our thoughts and prayers are with him” rather than bringing any attention to the stricter gun control that could have prevented the shooting. Scalise was shot with a military grade semi-automatic weapon.
The shooting at the Boston Commons raises the number of shootings in 2017 to 313. There have only been 255 days in the year. The shooting at the Fort Lauderdale airport in January was the deadliest shooting at an airport and Chicago is nearing 500 homicides. With only four months left in the year, hopefully, both sides of the aisle can come together in order to prevent more gun deaths.
More information on the shooting at the Boston Commons to come.
