‘People got families here’: Communities react to violent Sunday night in Boston

BOSTON — Authorities said that two people were killed and two others were injured in several shootings across Boston over the weekend.

Sunday night on Wildwood Street in Mattapan turned deadly. One woman, who preferred talking off camera, says she knows one of the two people who were shot.

“He was a good person. He didn’t get into trouble. He worked,” the friend said.

Boston police say one of the victims was killed, the other was expected to survive.

Around the same time on Sunday night, there was another deadly shooting on Centre Street in Dorchester. Police say a fourth person also was seriously hurt in a third shooting near downtown.

Residents say they are nervous. “That hurt my heart when I heard what happened,” said Lolita Lewis, who has lived in the area of decades.

Eduardo Torres says he is trying to raise a family here. “People got families here and it’s not fair. We wake up, we work, we do what normal people do,” said Torres.

Dave Richardson helps run a program called Trades Not Triggers where they teach young people a career in the trades to try to keep them focused.

“That is the whole point of what we are trying to do is to get these kids to put the guns down,” said Richardson.

Boston 25 News learned the City’s Senior Advisor for Community Safety, was on the scene with members of the Neighborhood Trauma Team Network and spoke with neighborhood leaders, including leadership from the Greater Mattapan Neighborhood Council.

The Neighborhood Trauma Team connected with a number of residents and people impacted by the shooting.

The City’s Office of Neighborhood Services is working on pulling together a community meeting for residents to get connected to city services and receive an update on the City’s work to address violence.

Additionally, the City continues to build partnerships and summer programming that will prioritize the youth and young adults in communities that have been historically impacted by violence and areas where recent incidents are occurring.

A Boston city spokesperson wrote in a statement:

“This weekend’s serious acts of gun violence are unacceptable and impact our city’s residents and families across neighborhoods. Yesterday, senior officials were on scene to investigate the incidents and connect residents impacted to the City’s Neighborhood Trauma team and available resources. The City is working closely alongside our public safety officials and neighborhood partners to support residents and families, target interventions and get guns off the street. In addition to following trends and responding to incidents, our Boston Police Department continues to be on the ground building relationships and fostering trust with our communities to be a resource and intervene before violence occurs through data-informed decisions. As we head into summer, we will continue to dedicate the full weight of all city departments across all neighborhoods to keep our residents safe and healthy.”

During the press conference, Boston Police officials asked the public to contact homicide detectives at 617-343-4470 or leave an anonymous tip at 1-800-494-TIPS if they had any information to help investigators.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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