Boston

Suspect in Shooting of Lawrence Girl Arrested in Boston

The victim was taken to Lawrence General Hospital before being transported to a hospital in Boston

A suspect has been arrested and charged in the shooting of a teenage girl last week in Lawrence, Massachusetts.

Lawrence Police said a 16-year-old girl was shot on High Street just after 9 p.m. Friday. Wednesday night, the Essex County District Attorney's Office said 36-year-old Jose Rivera had been arrested in Boston's Dorchester neighborhood.

Rivera was charged with three counts of armed assault to murder, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and possession of a firearm with two prior violent or drug crimes.

Police say the victim, who has not been identified, was a passenger in a black BMW that drove to a High Street address where a large group was fighting in the street. One of the occupants of the BMW allegedly exited the vehicle and shot several rounds in the air. A person then exited the High Street address and shot several rounds into the car, one of which struck the victim.

The victim was seriously injured in the shooting. She was taken to Lawrence General Hospital with a gunshot wound before being transported to a hospital in Boston, where she remained Wednesday.

During the shooting, a bullet flew into a nearby apartment, but no one inside the home was hurt.

Detectives said last week that they arrested the driver of the BMW, identified as 20-year-old Christian Figueroa, on an active warrant for several firearms-related charges in an unrelated shooting.

The Lawrence neighborhood was on edge after the shooting. One neighbor tells NBC10 Boston that she overheard the gunshots and called 911. She says this is not the first time this has happened in the neighborhood.

“I did. I called 911,” she said. “I have two kids. They were sleeping in different bedrooms. So I ran to one bedroom and I run to another one and take them to the bathroom because I didn’t know where to go.”

The woman says she has called 911 for a shooting at least three times in the last several months.

“I’m a full-time worker,” the woman said. “I have three kids. I am trying to do my best. My only mistake is just living in Lawrence.”

The shooting is being actively investigated by Lawrence police and the Essex County District Attorney's Office.

Rivera was expected to be arraigned Thursday in Lawrence District Court. It was not immediately clear if he had an attorney.

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