Three men are facing murder charges in connection with the fatal shooting of a hardware store owner in Boston's Mission Hill neighborhood on Tuesday, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney's office.
Police said Andres Cruz was shot at about 4 p.m. at his AC Hardware store on Tremont Street in an apparent robbery attempt. He was alone at the time of the incident and there appeared to be a struggle.
Cruz was shot at least one time before the three suspects fled the scene.
Police said arrested a few blocks away were Christian Soto-Olivero, 21, of Mattapan, Jerome D. Hobson, 38, of Dorchester, and Shawn Redden, 26, of Brockton. Each men are facing murder and firearms charges.
Boston Police Commissioner William Evans called the shooting cowardly.
"This was brazen daytime shooting of a good, well-respected man doing the right thing. Thanks to a quick response by my officers, we believe we have the three cowards responsible for this homicide in custody," Evans said. "It's troubling to us when the store owner works so hard, doing the right thing and something like this happens."
Boston Mayor Marty Walsh had recently met with Cruz and said he was well-known in the neighborhood.
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"The owner of this store, I know him. I met him a few weeks ago, talking to him about what was going on on Main Street. As the Commissioner said, this is a cowardly act," Walsh said.
Tuesday's shooting is the latest in a string of violent incidents in the city this week.
Police responded to a fatal shooting in Roxbury on Saturday night, a drive-by shooting in Dorchester on Sunday night, followed by a fatal double shooting in Dorchester on Monday afternoon and another shooting in Roxbury later Monday night.
The district attorney said one suspect is expected to be arraigned Wednesday in West Roxbury Municipal Court. The other suspects may be arraigned at area hospitals where they were separately transported for injuries they sustained in the fatal encounter.
