Two shot at annual Cambridge Carnival International Sunday
Shooter was quickly apprehended by police
Mahi Shafiullah–The Tech
Gunfire disrupted Sunday’s 25th annual Cambridge Carnival International. The incident took place near 200 Technology Square, about 0.2 miles from the center of campus.
Two young men were shot, one in the leg and the other in the foot, according to The Boston Globe. Their injuries are believed to be non-life-threatening. Suspect Michael Coleman, 23, was apprehended at the scene and taken into custody by the Cambridge Police Department.
The carnival was shut down by police about an hour-and-a-half before its originally scheduled closing because of the shooting, according to The Cambridge Day.
Students subscribed to MIT Alert, the Institute’s emergency notification system, received a series of messages notifying them of the situation and providing updates in real-time.
The first of these messages, sent at 4:50 p.m., read, “Shooting reported at 200 Tech Square. Police responding. Stay clear of the area. If nearby, shelter indoors. More info to follow.” Two subsequent messages informed students that police had taken the suspect into custody (sent at 5:05 p.m.) and that “no ongoing threat [was] believed to exist” (sent at 5:31 p.m.).
A fourth and final “all clear” message was sent at 5:58 p.m.
The Cambridge Carnival International, also referred to as the Cambridge Caribbean Festival, is an annual celebration rooted in Afro-Caribbean traditions that typically draws thousands of attendees.
Violent confrontations have frequented the carnival in previous years as well, including three separate fights in Kendall Square and a 15-person fight in Central Square last year and another reported shooting in 2015, according to The Cambridge Day.