Top cop seeks tips on brazen killing
Boston Police Commissioner William Gross made a public plea for information that could lead to an arrest in Thursday morning’s brazen, fatal shooting of a man in his 20s on a busy Mattapan street.
“We need everybody out here,” Gross said across the street from where the man was gunned down shortly after 9 a.m. on Blue Hill Avenue. “Our neighborhoods deserve to be safe.”
The victim, whose name was not released as of Thursday evening, was standing in the driveway of Fresh City Tires when the shooting occurred, Gross said. He was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.
Witnesses reported seeing someone leaving the area seconds after the shooting, the commissioner said, but it was unclear whether that was the suspect or another victim.
Royce White, who lives next door, said she had just put out the garbage and gone back inside her house when she heard four gunshots.
“I didn’t realize it was that close” until police arrived minutes later, White said. “I heard no screams or arguing … It’s pretty sad. It’s bold. Some people have no conscience. Anyone out here could have been shot. These guys who live to commit crimes keep doing the same thing because there are no consequences. It’s truly a shame. And it’s scary that they just don’t care anymore.”
The killing was the city’s 37th this year, compared to 26 over the same period last year, Gross said. And although it was unclear whether the gunman has a criminal record, the commissioner voiced frustration with the decision to release some inmates amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
“When you keep releasing dangerous persons, it’s a slap in the face. It just bolsters the confidence” of criminals, he said. “Word on the street is you can do what you want … But you keep letting them out; we’ll keep locking them up.”
Thursday’s killing and the stabbing of three officers in Saugus also underscored the shortsightedness of calls to defund the police, Gross said.
“Many people want to send social workers into these calls,” he said. What happened in Mattapan and Saugus “showcases how dangerous it is out here.”
John Gomes, the owner of Fresh City Tires, said he was at home when the shooting occurred.
“It’s crazy; it’s out of control,” Gomes said. “It’s shocking to say, but I’m kind of used to it. These kids need more activities to keep them out of the streets.”