Terrifying moment gunman opens fire in broad daylight on Boston street sending people, including children, running for their lives

Horrific footage showed the moment two gunman opened fire on a Boston street as children were seen rushing away in fear.

The chaotic scene broke out on a Roxbury sidewalk where bystanders were going about their day until an unidentified man in a red hoodie and black pants opened fire on Wednesday around 6.45pm. 

Several people were seen scrambling from the pathway of bullets, including a little girl, as another unidentified gunman in a brown hoodie returned fire

About 20 rounds of bullets were fired on the sidewalk that houses several businesses, according to Boston 25 News

Horrific footage showed the moment two gunmen exchanged fire on a busy Boston sidewalk on Wednesday around 6.45pm

The shooting was one of several in the city that shook locals. Another gunman opened fire on Tuesday while in the middle of an intersection near Gallivan Boulevard, according to the news outlet. 

But, the violence started on Monday when Haverhill pastor Danny Mayers, 33, was shot to death outside of Frederick Middle School. 

It's unclear whether Mayers was targeted but police found him shot in a car. 

The open investigations led to Boston police commissioner Michael Cox addressing the rapid rise in crime on Thursday.

'We’re here and we care,' Cox said, according to WHDH. 'From our perspective, people need to understand this is a safe city. We can be safer with the public’s help.' 

Officials on Thursday also claimed shootings this year have been down in the city but the number of victims have increased, according to NBC Boston.

To combat the rising numbers of shootings, officials plan to dedicate $19million to stir people away from crime by offering summer jobs and plotting against illegal activities, such as illegal ATVs. 

Several people, including a little girl, were seen scrambling for coverage as the bullets were fired

About 20 rounds of bullets were fired on the sidewalk that houses several businesses

Aside from fighting crime, Cox has strategically worked over the past year to reform the police department.

According to the police department website, reforms focus on community engagement, trust, transparency and improving all aspects of policing.

Cox has emphasized proactive outreach and worked toward providing safety resources for the LGBTQ+ community when facing threats.

Other reforms to the police department include diversifying staff by hiring more black, Indigenous and people of color. 

While the rate of shooting victims appears to be rising in Boston, other US cities are experiencing an uptick in homicides.

Memphis, New Orleans, and Richmond rank as America's homicide hotspots, with scholars linking their rising murder rates to soft-on-crime Democratic leadership and low police morale.

A study by WalletHub found that murder rates jumped by a tenth in the country's biggest cities between the first quarter of 2001 and the same period this year — and they're still heading up.

Researchers said murder rates started going up in the Covid-19 pandemic, and found that Democratic-led cities were suffering faster rising rates than their Republican counterparts.

WalletHub researchers found that murder rates jumped by a tenth in the country's biggest cities between the first quarter of 2001 and the same period this year

The number of child gunshot deaths grew from 1,732 to 2,590 — the highest number since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention started counting deaths in 1999

Researchers ranked cities by totting up their homicide rates in the first three months of 2023, and comparing those numbers against the same periods in 2021 and 2022. 

Memphis, New Orleans, Richmond, Washington DC, Detroit, Durham, Dallas. Milwaukee, Las Vegas and Kansas City ranked as America's worst homicide hotspots.

New York came 36th and Los Angeles at 38th.

Norfolk, Omaha, Atlanta, Fort Worth, and Raleigh ranked at the bottom of the list of the worst-affected big cities.

Cities with Democratic mayors had faster rising murder rates than those with a Republican leader, researchers found.