LYNN, Mass. — There will be an increased police presence at a school in Lynn on Wednesday after two teenagers were shot to death last week during the holiday break.
In a letter to the Lynn Public Schools community, Superintendent Evonne S. Alvarez said a uniformed officer will be present when Lynn Classical is in session and that education leaders are exploring staffing options to assign a full-time School Resource Officer after a 16-year-old boy and 19-year-old man were killed in the area of 10 Camden Street on Dec. 27 in what police called a “targeted attack.”
Saveth Kul said his son, 19-year-old Kyle Mel, was a student at Lynn Classical High School and aspired to be a rapper.
“He was a really good son,” Kul said of Kyle. “He listened to his mom and dad. He did good. He helped people.”
The Lynn Public School district also confirmed that the 16-year-old killed is also a student in the city’s public school system. His name has not yet been released.
“The priority of the Lynn Police Department is the safety of the Lynn community. We acknowledge with you the pain and anxiety caused by the senseless acts of violence that occurred these past few days,” Alvarez wrote in a letter released Tuesday. “The families of these young men will never be the same, and the grief that they are experiencing is shared by their friends and the school community where they were students.”
Students in Lynn are returning to school on Wednesday for the first time since classes were dismissed for the Christmas and New Year’s break.
Lynn Police Chief Christopher Reddy said last week that the teens were targeted, while Lynn Mayor Jared Nicholson called the gun violence “devastating, infuriating, and utterly unacceptable.”
Alvarez is vowing more security and support for students moving forward in the wake of the tragedy.
“We are working diligently to coordinate an increased police presence when schools reopen on Wednesday so that students, faculty, and staff can feel safe in a learning environment,” Alvarez explained.
Alvarez also made it known that the Lynn Police Department’s Gang Unit and the Drug Task Force have been proactively working with representatives from the Massachusetts State Police, FBI, ATF, and DEA to prioritize investigations, patrols, and suppression of gang-related activity in the city.
About 24 hours before the double shooting on Dec. 27, three other people were wounded in a triple shooting at a nearby shopping plaza.
No arrests have been announced in connection with the shootings.
Investigations into both incidents remain ongoing.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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