Parts of Dorchester erupted in gunfire on Monday night, part of spasm of violence across the city that included the shooting of a 4 year-old boy in Roxbury. In the span of a few short hours, there were shootings reported on Hamilton Street, Harvard Street, Shafter Street and Callender Street.

None of the shootings resulted in fatalities, although the four-year-old child shot on Bragdon Street near Egleston Square remains in serious condition. He was shot in the chest while in the arms of a 17-year-old relative, who was also hit by a bullet. Boston Police spokesman Officer David Estrada told the Associated Press that the older boy is believed to have been the target of the shooting, which occurred at 7:39 p.m.

The shooting on Harvard Street- which took place around 9:30 p.m. Monday, left a man injured with a shoulder wound. The victim said he was walking over a bridge near Norwell Street when someone opened fire on him. While officers were seeking suspects in that shooting, they were called to 20 Shafter Street, where two teens - ages 16 and 18 - were found suffering from gunshot wounds.

Earlier, around 7:50 p.m., a victim was found shot several times near 123 Hamilton Street. That victim is listed in stable condition, according to police. The shooting outside 68 Callender Street left a man wounded with what police and EMTs believe was a pellet from a b.b. gun.