Police are asking for the public's help locating a man wanted in connection with a 2023 shooting at a Caribbean festival in Boston's Dorchester neighborhood that left eight people injured.
Boston police detectives assigned to the fugitive unit continue to search for 31-year-old Gerald Vick, who is wanted on a warrant out of Suffolk Superior Court for eight counts of assault and battery with a firearm, unlawful possession of a machine gun, unlawful possession of a firearm and firearm use in commission of a felony in relation to an incident in August of 2023. Vick also has a default warrant out of Suffolk Superior Court for other firearm offenses, according to police.
The violence unfolded on the morning of Aug. 26, 2023. Police said two groups of people got into an argument on Talbot Avenue while the J'ouvert Parade was happening nearby.
Boston police were present at the parade and immediately responded to help the people hurt, applying tourniquets to some of them until emergency medical technicians arrived. None of the injuries were believed to be life threatening.
The Boston Caribbean Festival was celebrating its 50th anniversary when the shooting happened. It is not the first time violence has marred the celebrations, but officials said the gunfire didn't have anything to do with the event itself.
The Suffolk District Attorney's Office announced last February that Vick and three others had been indicted in the shooting. All four were arrested in the wake of the shooting but it wasn't immediately clear when or how Vick was released.
Vick is described as being 5'6" tall, weighing about 155 pounds, with multiple tattoos, police said. He is believed to have ties to Taunton.
Anyone who comes into contact with Vick should call 911 immediately, and anyone with information that can aid in his capture is asked to call detectives at 617-343-4712. Anonymous tips can be submitted to the CrimeStoppers Tip Line at 1-800-494-TIPS or by texting the word "TIP" to 27463.
