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A violent Thursday in Boston: stabbing in Mattapan, shooting in Roxbury, knife fight outside the BPL — as Mayor Wu's 'safest major city' claim wears thin

Friday, June 12, 2026•
4 min read
MDN Staff
•
A violent Thursday in Boston: stabbing in Mattapan, shooting in Roxbury, knife fight outside the BPL — as Mayor Wu's 'safest major city' claim wears thin

Three violent incidents inside 24 hours — three days after Mayor Wu told Boston again, on Instagram, that hers is 'the safest major city in the country.'

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BOSTON — Boston had a violent Thursday. A male was stabbed twice in Mattapan before dawn. A person was shot in Roxbury just after dinnertime. A knife fight broke out outside the Boston Public Library a few hours after that. Three violent incidents across three neighborhoods, all inside 24 hours — three days after Mayor Michelle Wu told Boston again, this time on Instagram, that hers is "the safest major city in the country."
The three incidents were captured Thursday by veteran Boston police-scanner monitor @StacoS.

Mattapan, 5:41 a.m.

A male victim was stabbed twice on Walk-Hill Street near Almont Street in Mattapan before dawn, scanner traffic shows. Two suspects fled the scene in a dark crossover SUV. BPD units swarmed the area with EMS to follow.

Roxbury, 7:20 p.m.

One man was shot at 575 Warren Street in Roxbury at 7:20 p.m. Thursday, Boston 25 News reported, citing Boston Police. The man was taken to Boston Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries. A Community Academy graduation ceremony was taking place near the shooting location at the time. No arrests have been reported.

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Initial scanner traffic showed "everyone rolling" to the scene, with the area placed on an avoid-area advisory.

Copley, 8:27 p.m.

A knife fight broke out at 8:27 p.m. Thursday outside the Boston Public Library at Copley Square. The victim ran toward the Prudential Tower and was stopped near the Pru "catching his breath and talking to BPD," per scanner traffic. Other BPD units were dispatched to look for the second suspect, who was still at large.

'The safest major city'

Wu has been using the "safest major city" framing for more than a year — most recently this week.
In a June 9 Instagram post commemorating fallen Boston Police officers, Wu wrote: "Boston is the safest major city in the country because generations of public servants have dedicated themselves to protecting and serving our residents." Three days later, BPD was responding to a dawn stabbing in Mattapan, a shooting in Roxbury, and a knife fight outside the Boston Public Library.
The Instagram post was the latest in a string of identical statements going back to early last year. Wu told the U.S. House Committee on Oversight on March 5, 2025 that she was proud to represent the partners who "make Boston the safest major city in the nation." She repeated the line in her March 19, 2025 State of the City Address. And she used it again at her end-of-year public safety briefing in December 2025.
A December 2025 GBH analysis found the claim did not hold up against per-capita homicide rates through September 2025 — San Francisco, Honolulu, El Paso, Fresno, Omaha, Tampa, Orlando, Salt Lake City and Mesa all ranked lower.
Boston Police have not yet released public statements on Thursday's three incidents.

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A violent Thursday in Boston: stabbing in Mattapan, shooting in Roxbury, knife fight outside the BPL — as Mayor Wu's 'safest major city' claim wears thin - Mass Daily News