Authorities in Methuen and across the Merrimack Valley have been dealing with “car club” parties for the last several years. The parties are typically organized on social media, Methuen police Chief Scott McNamara said, and usually involve large groups of young people who come together in empty parking lots to play loud music, dance, drink, and vape.
Advertisem*nt
Methuen police keep an eye out for these gatherings, and when they occur, police have cited people for trespassing, McNamara said. The parties have created quality-of-life concerns for residents, but do not typically result in the kind of violence that broke out Sunday, he said.
Police have been “fairly successful” in discouraging the parties in the past, McNamara said. But Sunday morning, at about 1:15 a.m., Methuen police received multiple 911 calls from the area of 100 Lindberg Ave., a large industrial area along Interstate 93.
Police arrived to a chaotic scene: Officers found seven gunshot victims and another victim who appeared to have been injured in a fall while running away, according to McNamara. Life-saving measures were performed on at least two of the victims and one was flown by helicopter to a local hospital, officials said.
McNamara said that they did not yet have a suspect as of Sunday afternoon, nor had they recovered any guns used in the shooting.
“We have some evidence and some strong leads but we don’t have a suspect at this time,” McNamara said.
The shooting in Methuen came during a violent few days for the region. In Lowell, authorities are investigating the apparent homicide of a 15-year-old girl who was found by a family member suffering from traumatic injuries Friday evening, according to the Middlesex District Attorney’s office.
Advertisem*nt
A spokesperson for Lowell police referred questions Sunday to the district attorney’s office, which identified the victim as Ahliana Dickey.
In Lynn, a 17-year-old boy was shot while parked in front of the Federal Street Market Basket late Saturday night. Multiple shots were fired at the vehicle, one of which struck the boy, according to Tucker.
The teen was later pronounced dead at a local hospital, Tucker said.
The cases in Lynn and Lowell both remain under investigation.
Tucker said the victims at the car party had come from “all over the county and beyond,” not just Methuen, as had many of those in attendance.
Joel Faretra, chairperson of the Methuen City Council, said the meetup’s proximity to the highway probably drew out-of-town visitors. He said the meetup’s location may also have made it easier to flee.
“There are multiple routes, so if the police do come, you can kind of scatter,” Faretra said. “As much as you want to say they’re just kids, they’re not stupid. They’re able to pick these places.”
McNamara said the site of Sunday’s gathering was not one of the usual hotspots that police monitor.
“Unfortunately, where this incident happened last night, we’ve never had that type of meetup in that type of area,” he said.
Joyce Campagnone, Methuen city councilor for the central district, which includes the shooting site, said she has not heard of these meetups being a significant problem before. She said the shooting came as a shock.
“The streets aren’t made for that,” Campagnone said in a phone call Sunday afternoon. “My heart goes out to the parents, and we need to support one another to keep our streets safe and our people safe.”
Advertisem*nt
Just east of the lot where the shooting took place, connected by a small footpath, is a cul de sac chalked with smiley faces and hopscotch. A child’s bike sat near a basketball hoop late Sunday morning.
Some neighbors, who lived in houses just yards from the lot but declined to give their names, said they heard loud music overnight, which was unusual. One woman said she heard popping a little after 1 a.m., but did not immediately realize the sound could have been gunshots.
Ismaela Alvarado, 35, stood on her porch on Edgewood Avenue and said she did not hear any of the music overnight, but she said she can usually hear the trucks moving through the lot through her first-floor bedroom window.
As Alvarado spoke, she held her young son’s hand. Her daughter attempted backwards shots into a basketball hoop in the driveway.
“There’s always noise, but I guess that’s normal,” said Alvarado, who has lived in her home for about four years. She said the street is usually “pretty safe and quiet.”
John Hilliard can be reached at john.hilliard@globe.com. Daniel Kool can be reached at daniel.kool@globe.com. Follow him @dekool01.
