By BRIDGET TURCOTTE
REVERE — Following a shooting Sunday night in the parking lot of Showcase Cinema where the 30th annual Fiesta Shows Revere Carnival was being held, Mayor Brian M. Arrigo is questioning whether it’s a good idea to bring the festival back.
“The investigation into this is ongoing,” Arrigo said in a statement. “We are currently evaluating the situation and will determine whether an event like the carnival can take place in Revere moving forward. As always, the safety of our residents is my first priority.
“Thank you to the first responders from Revere and surrounding communities who rushed to the scene, and thank you to the guests at the carnival and those at the movie theater for their patience and cooperation during a hectic and confusing situation.”
Police responded to a report of shots fired at about 8:40 p.m. No victims have been reported but three vehicles were damaged, according to Police Lt. Amy O’Hara. There was a report that a suspect may have fled into the cinema, which was evacuated.
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Since police have not determined whether the shooter was visiting the cinema or the carnival, City Councilors Anthony Zambuto and Arthur Guinasso said they weren’t comfortable commenting on what the shooting meant for the future of the carnival.
“I’m not certain if it’s attributed to the carnival or to Showcase Cinema,” said Guinasso. “There was obviously some incident of gun play and that’s completely unacceptable, no matter what. Once the police department makes a determination about the cause, we can pass judgement.”
E.J. Dean, vice president of operations of Dean & Flynn, Inc., also called Fiesta Shows, said he was deeply saddened by the incident.
“For generations, we have prided ourselves in creating a family-friendly environment and the safety of our guests is our top priority,” Dean said in a statement. “We maintain a large police and fire presence on site as part of our normal security procedures to ensure that our patrons are safe at all times.
“We are pleased that none of our guests or employees were injured in this incident, which took place outside the confines of our carnival event, but we are nonetheless providing any assistance we can to the Revere Police and Showcase Theaters regarding this matter. We feel bad for the good citizens and families of Revere that were enjoying their time at the carnival when this occurred.”
Bridget Turcotte can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @BridgetTurcotte