Three people, including a teenager, are dead, and two others were injured after gun violence erupted Thursday across the city of Boston.
“The violence that this city saw yesterday ripped away the lives of three individuals and inflicted immeasurable trauma and harm on the communities that experience gun violence," District Attorney Rachael Rollins said in a statement. “Acts of violence have no place in Suffolk County, and my Office will work diligently with our partners in law enforcement and the community to hold accountable those who would take a life and scar the lives of so many others in our community.”
Police responded to a call around 10 p.m. about possible fireworks or gunfire on Mount Pleasant Avenue in Roxbury, Boston Police Commissioner William Gross said. Upon arriving, they found a 15-year-old boy suffering from a gunshot wound. The teenager, who has not been identified, was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Neighbors tell NBC10 Boston the teen had lived in the building but was visiting when violence erupted.
Two other shooting victims from the incident took themselves to the hospital, Gross said. They suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
No arrests have been made in that case so far.
Hours earlier, around 8 p.m., a man was killed during a shooting incident near Woolson and Norfolk streets in Mattapan.
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Prosecutors say the violent encounter started as a conflict over a scooter, leaving 22-year-old Justin Cannady dead.
The city’s top cop credited neighbors with calling 911 quickly, allowing officers to arrest 35-year-old Rafael Santiago. He is now charged with murder.
”This is what I’m talking about folks," Gross said. "These neighborhoods are not desensitized to violence and people do care in tonight made the difference.”
When officers arrived at the scene, they found a suspect, later identified as Santiago, of Malden, with a revolver in his hand. According to police, the officers were able to "quickly deescalate the potentially deadly encounter, convincing the armed suspect to drop the firearm after issuing numerous verbal commands."
Prosecutors allege Santiago approached Cannady and a second man Thursday in the area of Columbia Road, accusing them of stealing a scooter from one of his relatives. Following a verbal altercation, Santiago allegedly retrieved his gun and then went to Hosmer Street to confront the two men again.
Officials say Santiago is captured on video brandishing what appears to be a firearm during the altercation. They say he then pursued the victims to the area of Norfolk and Woolson streets, where he fired his weapon, killing Cannady.
Santiago was arraigned Friday for murder, unlawful possession of a firearm, and unlawful possession of ammunition. He was ordered held without bail and will be back in court on July 29. It's unclear if he has a lawyer.
An investigation into Cannady's murder remains ongoing.
That violence in Mattapan followed a fatal shooting in Dorchester early Thursday. Police say a 45-year-old man was gunned down and killed near Armandine and Milton streets.
Officials say Rashawn Washington-Clark was shot inside his vehicle around 12:19 a.m. in the area of Norfolk Street and Peacevale Road. Washington-Clark was able drive to the intersection of Armadine Street and Milton Avenue where he died from his injuries.
No arrests have been made in this shooting, and it remains under investigation.
Mayor Marty Walsh has called for an end to the violent shootings.
Police say they need continued help from the community, but Gross also says the city needs to reopen courts so police can help the district attorney and keep repeat violent offenders behind bars.
Boston police hope anyone with information regarding these fatal shootings in the city's Roxbury, Dorchester and Mattapan neighborhoods will come forward.
Elsewhere in Massachusetts, four people were shot during an incident around 10 p.m. Thursday in Somerville, police said. One of the victims was in critical condition, according to officials.
