Springfield Police investigating double homicide on Union Street

SPRINGFIELD, MA (WGGB/WSHM) – Police officers investigating a double homicide early Wednesday morning in Springfield found themselves the targets of gunfire.

Just after midnight on Wednesday morning, police responded to reports of two bodies in an apartment on the 200 block of Union Street. Police said that upon arriving at the scene, officers entered the apartment and found two people dead.

Less than two hours later, gunshots were fired near the crime scene at the intersection of School and High Street.

Springfield Police Superintendent Cheryl Clapprood told Western Mass News that the automatic gunfire was shot in the direction of the investigating officers.

“It’s a full-court press because it’s a very dangerous situation for any innocent victim walking around. They were just spraying that gunfire out of a window,” Clapprood explained.

Clapprood added that Springfield police officers, who were on the scene when the shots were fired, had bullets whizzing by them. Springfield Police spokesperson Ryan Walsh added more details and said, in part:

“Detectives reviewing video showed the incident began with a group of people exchanging words, then one individual entered a car. That is when one suspect began shooting at the car as it sped away. A second suspect is seen firing a gun in the direction of the officers who were responding to the initial gunfire. Several suspects were detained, the two shooting suspects were able to flee on foot.”

Clapprood told us Springfield Police will leave no stone unturned to solve both of these crimes.

“I’m planning to get everybody that I can, which would mean all of our task force, the sheriff’s, we have ATF, we have DEA, we have SAFE from the district attorney’s office. We have a lot of different help coming in,” Clapprood said.

Meanwhile, the Hampden District Attorney’s office is investigating the murder case.

“There was, in fact, a double homicide in the early morning hours this morning discovered by the Springfield Police Department. My office is working, in conjunction with the Springfield Police Department homicide unit, to investigate the matter,” said Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni.

The identities and manner of death for the two homicide victims has not been released.

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