On the evening of March 5, several soldiers from the 29th Regiment were seen walking through the streets with drawn swords and bayonets. They injured a number of townspeople as they moved through the city.
Shortly after nine o'clock, four boys came down Cornhill Street. Two of them passed a narrow alley leading to Murray’s barracks. Inside the alley, a soldier was striking a large sword against the wall, and sparks flew. A man holding a club stood beside him.
One boy warned the other to be careful. The soldier turned and hit him, then stabbed at the second boy, tearing his coat and scratching his skin. The boy struck back with a short stick. The man with the club ran to the barracks and returned with two more soldiers. One carried tongs, and the other had a shovel.
The man with the tongs chased the first boy and hit him on the head. The noise drew a small crowd. A boy named John Hicks knocked the soldier down, and more boys arrived to help drive the group back to the barracks.
Within moments, ten or twelve soldiers came out carrying weapons. They charged at the boys, who tried to resist but quickly scattered because they were unarmed.
Samuel Atwood heard the noise and came to investigate. As the soldiers rushed into the square, he asked whether they planned to kill people. One soldier answered yes, then struck Atwood with a club. Another soldier hit him again, wounding his shoulder.
The soldiers moved through the square shouting threats and looking for people to attack. Although many of the townspeople were unarmed, some soldiers chased them through the streets and even followed them to their homes.
As the crowd grew, Captain Preston arrived with a party of armed men. They pushed through the people with bayonets and took position near the custom house. Several townspeople were poked, and some threw snowballs in return.
Captain Preston gave the order to fire. When more snowballs were thrown, he gave the command again. One soldier fired first, and a man from the crowd struck him with a stick. The captain was also hit. The soldiers continued firing until seven or more shots had been discharged.