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Man arrested in connection with 2018 Dorchester homicide

BOSTON — A man was arrested in connection with a homicide in Dorchester in 2018, according to Boston Police.

Police said 26-year-old Dorchester native Gregory Simmons was arrested Monday on an active warrant for charges of murder, attempted armed robbery while masked, and unlawful possession of a firearm.

Surveillance video was key to identifying Simmons as a suspect, according to court documents.

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Police also said Simmons has multiple active warrants out of Stoughton District Court for charges of armed robbery.

According to court documents, Simmons told police in a taped interview “he had driven the armed gunman...to the location near Fabian Gas Station” on the night of Willams' murder, and “the intention of the trip was to rob the gas station."

The arrest comes after an incident on October 6, 2018, where police responded to the sound of gunfire around 11:35 p.m. while in the area of Washington Street in Dorchester.

Responding officers found 67-year-old Dorchester native Jose Williams suffering from a gunshot wound, and Williams was transported to the hospital where he was later pronounced dead.

Investigators say they’ve linked Simmons to three armed robberies in the Dorchester area around the time of shooting death of the 67-year-old Willams.

A 21-year-old was arrested and charged with murder in October in connection with the incident, but his charges were withdrawn after he spent five weeks in jail.

"I want a public apology for my kid," his mother, Regina Hunter, said. "The same way they blasted him out here and made him this big villain that he still carries over his head today."

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