Caribbean Carnival celebrations in the city of Boston were dampened by a shooting that injured eight people in the city's Dorchester neighborhood, according to police.Boston police said officers who were near the intersection of Talbot and Blue Hill avenues for the annual J'ouvert parade, which is part of Boston's Caribbean Carnival Festival, heard multiple gunshots shortly before 7:45 a.m. Saturday.According to police, six men and two women were shot. Five of the men and one of the women were transported to area hospitals to be treated for non-life-threatening injuries. The two other shooting victims suffered graze wounds and declined to be treated for their injuries.Boston police Commissioner Michael Cox said the gunfire erupted while the Caribbean American Carnival Association of Boston's J'ouvert parade was happening, but he noted the shooting was not related to the parade since it happened on the outskirts of the parade route."It seems to potentially be, maybe, two groups having some sort of altercation," Cox said. "Unfortunately, as a result of it being a large crime scene, we did stop the parade on Talbot Avenue."CACAB's main Caribbean Carnival parade, however, and the remainder of Saturday's events went on as scheduled. This year marks the 50th anniversary celebration of the Boston Caribbean Carnival parade."This is a huge benefit for the city of Boston to have this event," said Boston Mayor Michelle Wu. "It is joyful. It is necessary for the city and it's really a critical part of our social infrastructure here and community building.""We have no interest in having anything but peace among the universe, and so it was very, very difficult for me this morning to know that something occurred when we worked so hard — so incredibly hard — to put on something that is a more family-oriented event and peaceful," said CACAB president Shirley Shillingford."This joyous festival of Caribbean heritage may have been affected by senseless violence, but we stand with the many good people here today who will not let this violence define their cultural celebration," Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden said in a statement.Video below: Caribbean Carnival Parade marches on after shootingBoston police said they have arrested four people and recovered multiple firearms in connection with the shooting.Dorchester residents Gerald Vick, 30, and Dwayne Francis, 30, were arrested at the scene shortly after the shootings. Officers recovered a 9mm pistol with a large-capacity magazine from Vick's person. That pistol was also equipped with a "Glock switch" that enabled the gun to fire continuously. Police said Francis was found to be in possession of a loaded 9mm Smith and Wesson pistol. Both men are facing a charge of unlawful possession of a firearm and will be arraigned Monday in Dorchester District Court.Boston police detectives later obtained video that showed two men who were involved in the initial gunfire: 21-year-old Sebastian Fernandez and a 17-year-old Dorchester boy.Police said Fernandez was shot in the leg during the incident and limped into a nearby tow lot after the shooting. Officers applied a tourniquet to his leg and he was transported to a local hospital for treatment. Fernandez was later arrested for his role in the shooting and is being guarded at the hospital.According to police, video showed the 17-year-old fleeing on foot into the back of the Berkshire Partners Blue Hill Boys & Girls Club toward Franklin Field. At about 1:50 p.m., officers saw a male matching the teen's description on Westview Street. Those officers stopped the 17-year-old and found that he was in possession of a Polymer 80 pistol equipped with a "Glock switch." The teen was arrested for firearm possession and his involvement in the shooting is under investigation."Today’s mass shooting highlights the gun violence crisis we are facing. This is a public health & public safety emergency," tweeted Boston City Council President Ed Flynn. "Boston police continue to confiscate and recover guns at an alarming rate and now is the time to come together and develop a gun violence strategy in Boston."Video below: BPD commissioner, Boston mayor and others speak about shooting during J'ouvert paradeAfter the shooting, NewsCenter 5 reporter Brianna Borghi spotted a Boys & Girls Club van in the area that appeared to have its front driver's side window shot out. The van was also tagged with spray paint."I am praying for the recovery of the victims, and grateful to the police and first responders who were on the scene. This is an event for children, on a Saturday morning, and it's appalling that bad actors would visit violence and evil on it," reads a statement from Boston City Councilor Erin Murphy.Cox said anyone with more information about the shooting, including visual evidence, should call Boston police detectives at 617-343-4700. Those who wish to provide an anonymous tip can call 1-800-494-8477 or text the word "TIP" to 27463.The Boston Caribbean Carnival parade kicked off at 1 p.m. on Martin Luther King Boulevard in Roxbury, near the intersection of Warren Street. The parade route then followed Warren Street through Grove Hall, then turned onto Blue Hill Avenue and continues south before ending at Franklin Park in Dorchester.The Caribbean American Carnival Association of Boston was set to host a breakfast at the City Hall Plaza beer garden at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, but that event was moved to the Piemont Room at City Hall.