A man was killed and another injured in two shootings that happened within 30 minutes of each other Thursday night in Fitchburg, Massachusetts.
Worcester County District Attorney Joseph Early confirmed the fatality during a news conference Friday morning, in which officials sought the public's help finding out what happened.
The fatal shooting happened at about 9 p.m. on Blossom Street, according to Early. The victim was 23 years old and pronounced dead at the hospital, his office said, though it hasn't identified the victim.
Fitchburg residents said the shooting was out of the ordinary.
"It's so rare out here in Fitchberg, I've lived out here 10 years and we almost never get issues like that," said one woman.
About 25 minutes later, Fitchburg police received a call of a second shooting just over a mile away on Goddard Street. The victim who had been sitting in a parked Suburu suffered a minor injury.
"It went off like fireworks, low, like the gun was little," said Keyon Wilson whose family lives in Fitchburg.
It is unclear if the incidents are related.
"I can say this, the victim in the Blossom Street shooting is known to the Fitchburg Police Department," Early said.
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A green station wagon seen at the scene of the second incident was spotted outside the Fitchburg Police Department Friday morning. The vehicle appeared to have damage from a few bullet holes.
A man who lives in the area of the second shooting told NBC10 Boston that police examined cars and houses to see if any had been shot.
Fitchburg resident Tim McDonald said he and his wife saw police investigating a car just a few doors down from them.
"We talked to an officer and he said you can go in your house," he said. "They said they had looked at the cars on the street to see if any had been shot at and they looked at houses."
The investigation is ongoing.
"We can't do anything in this city without the public's help so I’m asking the public if you have information to please reach out to the Fitchburg Police Department," FPD Chief Ernest Martineau said.
Early recognized the two crimes as unsettling, but is reassuring residents that what happened Thursday night doesn't make Fitchburg a bad place.
"The City of Fitchburg is a safe city, the City of Worcester is safe city, but we're always going to deal with one to one-and-a-half percent of the population who will commit these crimes," said.
Police ask anyone with information to contact the Fitchburg Police Department at 978-345-4355.
