LOWELL, MASS. (WHDH) – One person was killed and two others were injured Saturday in a shooting in a Lowell parking lot, the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office announced.
The DA’s office said the shooting happened shortly before 5 a.m. outside a temple off Middlesex Street.
Police responded and brought two people to an area hospital, according to police. A third person, identified as a 26-year-old woman, suffered minor injuries and brought herself to a hospital.
The DA’s office said a 43-year-old Lowell man was pronounced dead at the hospital. A 34-year-old man remained hospitalized early Saturday afternoon.
Police were seen working outside the Shree Swaminarayan Hindu temple off Middlesex Street for several hours Saturday, taping off the temple’s parking lot, placing evidence markers on the ground, and taking photos.
Several cars were stopped inside police crime scene tape early Saturday morning and some remained in place near 10 a.m..
Witnesses said the parking lot is often used for late-night gatherings, since it is a large empty space at night.
Witnesses said people also gather at night in the parking lot of a car wash across the street.
Citing a preliminary investigation, the Middlesex DA’s office said investigators believe a group was gathered in the temple parking lot when a physical altercation took place.
The DA’s office said there was no indication the gathering and the subsequent shooting was related to the temple and said no arrests had been made.
A large religious gathering was scheduled to take place at the temple on Saturday, with hundreds of people expected to attend. Some people showed up early in the morning but could not enter the still closed-off parking lot. Police allowed temple members to enter the temple and begin their festival shortly before 10 a.m. while investigators continued to work.
Officials said an investigation involving Lowell police, Massachusetts State Police and the DA’s office was ongoing as…