Bystander killed in Dorchester shooting had just moved from Haiti

BOSTON — They survived the earthquake in Haiti, only to lose a life to gun violence here in Boston.

A husband and three children are devastated after a 36-year-old woman was gunned down on Washington Street in Dorchester.

Benine Timothee, 36, was on her way to a community center to learn English when she was shot in what police say was a shooting targeting a teenager who was nearby.

That teenager was treated for non-life-threatening injuries, but a family is now coping with unbelievable loss and financial struggles.

Andre Timothee broke down in tears when asked to describe his wife, Benine.%

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Andre came to the U.S. from Haiti for work and, three months ago, he was finally able to move Benine and their children to Boston to be with him.

A family reunited until gun violence forever tore them apart.

Benine was walking on Washington Street in Dorchester Saturday afternoon when gun shots rang out.

She was shot and killed -- an innocent bystander in the wrong place at the wrong time.

"When they called, they said she never showed up," Andre told FOX25 through a translator.

He said he tried calling his wife for several hours Saturday afternoon. His pastor called police to file a report. That's when he learned about the shooting.%

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"I'm not feeling good. I'm not feeling good, because my mother is gone," Benine's daughter Nilisa said. "I'm very sad."

Nilisa, 13, and her 12-year-old brother, Gephte, are still in shock.

"Not good, because my mother is dead," Gepthe said.

The family survived Haiti's devastating earthquake in 2010. Eventually, they came to the U.S. for a better life and more opportunities.

Nicole Albert runs the Gilbert Albert Community Center where she says Benine had recently enrolled to learn English.

"Now, what we need to know is how to help this man and his two kids -- and who did it."

Police are still searching for the shooter and asking the community to step up with information as a husband and children grapple with unimaginable grief.%

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The family lives in a small two-room apartment in Dorchester.

They aren't even sure how they are going to afford her funeral expenses, but a Gofundme has been established.

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