NAHANT, MASS. (WHDH) - Police responded to a report of a shooting at Nahant Beach Wednesday night, and one person was hospitalized, according to Massachusetts State Police.
When state troopers arrived at the scene, they found a person suffering from a gunshot wound, police said. The person who was shot was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, according to police.
Dozens of police officers were at the beach at 9 p.m. Wednesday. The shoreline was packed into the evening with beachgoers.
A birthday party and an outdoor yoga class were going on when people heard what they first thought were fireworks. One man got closer to the scene to check it out.
“I was just trying to check out what the fireworks were and we were going for a skate up and down the beach, and I just went through the gates and kind of went up a little path towards the outhouses just to see what was going on, and we basically ran into a whole crime scene,” the man said.
“I was just trying to take it in, it’s just so close to home, being a shop owner right here at Nahant Beach, definitely didn’t expect something like this,” he continued.
Police were interviewing a suspect that matched a description from witnesses, state police said.
“We just heard a bunch of gunshots. We thought it was fireworks, but turned out to be gunshots,” beachgoer Monica Lee said. “It’s really crazy, especially, like, you’re having a good night at the beach, it’s a warm night, and it’s really sad.”
Police were still on the scene as of 10 p.m.
In an update Thursday morning, a state police spokesperson said the person who was shot was a young adult male. The man was the intended target of the shooting, according to the spokesperson.
A vehicle was also hit by gunfire but was unrelated to the shooting, the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson said authorities were still searching for the person or people responsible for this shooting as of around 10:30 a.m. Thursday.
This is a developing news story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest details.
(Copyright (c) 2024 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)