Getting Answers: are shootings on the rise in Springfield?

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) - Springfield Police are investigating the shooting death of a man that took place in the early hours of Sunday morning. Western Mass News is getting answers on whether or not there is an uptick in crime in the city and what people can do to improve the safety of their communities.

Sunday’s shooting came just days after Springfield police officers investigating another deadly crime scene were caught in the middle of gunfire.

Western Mass News spoke to Springfield Police Spokesperson Ryan Walsh, who told us that while it may seem like crime numbers are going up, that may not be the case.

A double homicide investigation on Union Street last Wednesday turned dangerous for responding officers when gunshots nearly missed three of them nearby. Four days later on Sunday, a man was shot on Orange Street and later died from his injuries.

This has led concerned residents to ask – are shootings increasing in Springfield?

Walsh told Western Mass News that the department is working hard to avoid an increase in shooting incidents and that they need help from Springfield residents, as well as judges, to hold people accountable for their actions.

“You look at the work that our officers are doing. So far this year, they’ve seized 167 illegal firearms. Some of those individuals are held after a dangerousness hearing, but most, the vast majority, are already back out, waiting for their trials,” he said. “What we need is real cooperation from the community if they know something, to speak to our detectives, but also, cooperation from the courts, that they hold these individuals so that our city remains safe.”

To clearly understand if there is an increase in shootings, Walsh also shared with us the data for the six weeks from May into June for the past three years. It shows 10 shootings in that time frame in 2021, 2022, and 2023.

• 2021: 10 shooting incidents
• 2022: 10 shooting incidents
• 2023: 10 shooting incidents

We asked Walsh what the department sees as the biggest issue facing the city right now.

“The amount of illegal firearms that are out there now, from ghost guns to what are called glock switches or seal selectors, which turn a firearm into a fully automatic firearm,” said Walsh. “Those types of illegal things that aren’t quite regulated are getting in the hands of bad guys and that’s really the biggest issue we’re seeing in the city.”

Anyone with information about the recent shootings and homicides in the city has been asked to call the Springfield Police Detective Bureau at 413-787-6355.