Boston man charged in shooting
Cops: Just one gunman at South Shore Plaza as 15-year-old wounded
A Boston man faces charges including attempted murder in the shooting Friday in Braintree’s South Shore Plaza — and police say initial reports of a shootout were incorrect.
Jose Rodriguez, 21, of Boston is being held without bail as he awaits a Monday arraignment after a shooting at the Braintree mall that left a 15-year-old girl wounded.
This comes after a scary scene at the busy South Shore Plaza that Braintree Police Chief Mark Dubois late Friday night originally described to the media as two people exchanging gunfire, but police through a PR agency said on Saturday morning that video from the scene showed just one shooter.
A second unidentified man — who police Friday night said was suspected as a second shooter — has been released without charges, Braintree Police said in a Saturday morning news release.
Dubois said Friday night it appeared that two groups of a total of around six or seven people got into a fight at the mall earlier in the day, and then went their separate ways. But they clashed again in the plaza shortly after 4:30 p.m., leading to gunfire. One of the bullets struck the girl, who was not affiliated with either group, the chief said, declining to release further information about her.
Everyone involved in the fight fled, and the men who were arrested were caught “nearby” after authorities called for a neighborhood to shelter in place. That second arrestee, who has yet to be identified, has now been released.
“Police continue to actively investigate the incident, and additional charges may be filed,” Braintree Police said in a news release.
Police from around the area, including SWAT teams in heavy tactical gear from Boston, flooded the mall, which is one of the largest in the area. Law enforcement kept the building locked down for hours with shoppers sheltering in the stores as cops searched for the shooter.
The mall opened as normal on Saturday morning.
Cops on Friday night said they were still searching for guns, and now say they have found one firearm in the bushes outside the plaza after the shooting.
Rodriguez on Saturday morning remained held by Braintree Police with plans to move him into Norfolk County Sheriffs’ custody. He’s expected to be arraigned by a Quincy District Court judge via video on Monday.
Rodriguez faces charges of assault to murder, assault and battery on a child with substantial injury, carrying a firearm without a license, firing a gun within 500 feet of a building and other related charges.