BOSTON — By sunrise, yellow police tape stretched from one end of Blue Hill Avenue to the other. Six victims down on George Street. A pool of blood on Fayston. Sirens threading through Roxbury from midnight to first light. And a city whose mayor has spent the summer telling the country that Boston is the "safest major city in America."

Mayor Michelle Wu and Police Commissioner Michael Cox are expected to appear at a scheduled City Hall Plaza appearance later Sunday. Cox is expected to speak on the overnight shootings afterward.

11:54 p.m. Saturday — 13 Fayston Street, Roxbury. Officers found one man shot. He was rushed to a local hospital in serious condition.

12:36 a.m. Sunday — 24 Horadan Way, Roxbury. A gunshot victim arrived at a local hospital. Investigators traced the shooting back to the Horadan Way area.

12:36 a.m. Sunday — 500 Blue Hill Avenue, Roxbury. An officer spotted one person with a gunshot wound at the scene. By the time investigators finished their sweep, they had found three victims. All three were transported by Boston EMS. One died at the hospital. A fourth victim from the same shooting rolled up to a hospital on his own.

1:56 a.m. Sunday — 71 Draper Street, Dorchester. Officers responded to a report of a person shot. One victim was located.

3:14 a.m. Sunday — 120 George Street, Roxbury. Officers responded to another report of gunfire. Three gunshot victims. All three transported by Boston EMS. One died at the hospital. Another is in life-threatening condition — meaning the overnight fatality count could rise. And at 4:06 a.m., three more victims from the same scene walked into a hospital under their own power — their wounds this time listed as non-life-threatening.

Six victims. One scene. Roxbury. 3:14 in the morning.

That was eight days ago. In those eight days, City Hall's response has been to keep repeating the phrase "safest major city in America." In those same eight days, Boston has added thirteen new gunshot victims and two more dead to its 2026 total.

Now Boston has added five shootings, thirteen more gunshot victims, and two more dead to that "safest major city" argument — in a single overnight stretch.

The line does not survive contact with the sidewalk on Blue Hill Avenue. It does not survive the tape on George Street. It does not survive the count.

Whether Mayor Wu uses the framing again at her scheduled City Hall Plaza appearance later Sunday will be a decision the audience — the residents of Roxbury and Dorchester — is watching for.

The Boston Police Homicide Unit is investigating all five scenes. Anyone with information is asked to call 617-343-4470. Anonymous tips can be sent to the CrimeStoppers Tip Line at 1-800-494-TIPS or by texting TIP to CRIME (27463).

Boston Neighborhood Trauma Team support is available at 617-431-0125 for anyone in the affected communities who needs emotional assistance.