BOSTON — Two Dorchester men were held without bail and a Roxbury woman is also charged in connection with a triple stabbing that happened near a shelter on Southampton Street last week, after which police recovered a knife, a machete and two firearms loaded with live rounds, the district attorney said Sunday.
Juan Shanks, 33, of Dorchester was deemed dangerous and ordered held without bail by Judge David Poole during his arraignment Wednesday. He is charged with armed assault to murder and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, a knife, Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden said in a statement.
Shanks has long criminal history including a lengthy juvenile record. Shanks has served time for resisting arrest, making threats, possession of a firearm without an FID card, assault with a dangerous weapon, defacing a firearm’s serial number and assault and battery of a police officer, Hayden said.
Jaden Mathieu, 20, of Dorchester was ordered held without bail by Judge David Poole pending a dangerousness hearing on Wednesday. He is charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, a firearm; carrying a firearm without a license, and possessing ammunition without an FID card, Hayden said.
Mathieu has a history of gun related offenses and an additional open firearm case in Roxbury, Hayden said.
Mikia Steed, 38, of Roxbury was charged with two counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, a shod foot and milk crate. Judge Debra DelVecchio set bail at $2,500 and issued a stay away and no-contact order between Steed and Mathieu and Shanks, Hayden said. Steed has an open warrant in Suffolk Superior Court for a masked armed robbery that occurred in December 2022.
Around 11:37 a.m. on July 15, officers were patrolling the area of Bradston and Atkinson streets when they were alerted by staff from the Southhampton Street Shelter of two victims suffering from stab wounds to the back, Hayden said.
Officers were directed to the first victim, later identified as Shanks, laying on the street in front of the shelter, being treated by nursing staff. The second victim, later identified as Steed, was found in the shelter’s lobby, also being treated by staff.
While administering first aid, responding officers were instructed to be cognizant of the hundreds of open, uncapped hypodermic needles in the area, Hayden said.
Both Shanks and Steed were taken by ambulance to local hospitals. A third victim, later identified as Mathieu, went by himself to Boston Medical Center, with a stab wound to the back, Hayden said.
Video surveillance captured the stabbing incidents, authorities said.
The video shows Shanks being approached by a man, later identified as Mathieu, who appears to be holding a firearm, Hayden said. Mathieu strikes Shanks in the head with the butt end of the firearm before losing control of the weapon and letting it fall to the ground. The firearm is picked up by another man in a purple T-shirt, later identified as Jose Alicea, who appears to place it in his waistband. Alicea then walks under a canopy connected to a green tent on the corner of Atkinson and Southampton streets. Police later secured the tent and recovered two firearms. Alicea has not been charged.
Shanks and Mathieu are seen on video wrestling on the ground, when an unknown suspect wearing a dark- colored hooded shirt and red pants approaches Shanks and stabs him in the back. Shanks is then attacked by multiple people including Steed. Steed, who is wearing heavy footwear, then punches, kicks, and hits Shanks with a milk crate. Shanks then gets up and chases Steed, stabbing her several times in the lower back.
The video shows several security guards nearby trying to intervene and stop the fight, and while doing so, Shanks tosses an object that is later identified as a knife. Steed then walks into the lobby of the shelter and collapses next to the security checkpoint.
Then, the video captures an unknown suspect, wearing a green T-shirt and blue jean shorts, approach the scene wielding a machete, which was quickly confiscated by a security guard. This person and the suspect wearing the dark-colored hoodie and red pants have not yet been identified.
Shanks, Steed and Mathieu all suffered non-life threatening injuries. Investigators found a folding knife in Shanks’ pants pocket.
Hayden praised police and the shelter’s security and treatment staff for their actions during the incident, which occurred in an area that is known for its high homeless population and illicit street activity.
“What’s happening at Mass and Cass is a human tragedy and a community nightmare. This alarming violence illustrates, yet again, the urgent need for a collaborative approach combining all our resources—local, regional and state,” Hayden said. “Police and prosecutors continue to target serious offenders and we are seeking additional funding for our Services over Sentences program, which helps low-level offenders escape the area. But without a comprehensive approach a solution will never be adequately addressed.”
Mathieu, Steed and Shanks were all arraigned in the Boston Municipal Court in Roxbury on Wednesday.
Mathieu is due back in court for a dangerousness hearing on July 26. Steed will return to court on Aug. 18 for a pre-trial hearing. Shanks will return to court for a probable cause hearing on Aug. 25.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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