Jun 25, 2007 6:42 pm US/Eastern
8-Year-Old Boy Killed In Dorchester Shooting
DORCHESTER (WBZ) ―
-
-
LaQuarrie Jefferson, 8, was shot in the abdomen in his bedroom of the second-floor apartment at 266 Seaver Street just after 11 p.m. Sunday.
CBS
-
-
Boston Police say the child was shot in a second floor apartment in this building on Seaver Street.
WBZ
Sources tell WBZ that Boston Police are questioning the story given by family members of an eight-year-old boy fatally shot inside his Dorchester home last night.
LaQuarrie Jefferson was shot in the abdomen in his bedroom of the second-floor apartment at 266 Seaver Street just after 11 p.m. Sunday.
The family told police three armed men forced their way into the apartment and started firing. But sources told WBZ-TV's Kathy Curran there isn't evidence to match that claim.
The boy was rushed to Boston Medical Center, where he later died.
No one has been arrested, but Davis says the department has received several tips from the public.
Davis said police don't know whether the boy was a target.
"There are people who are in the apartment who are connected to gangs," Davis said. "But at this point in time it's too early to say if it was specifically a gang-related incident."
When asked if this could have been an accidental shooting, Davis said police are looking at several different leads.
Jefferson's mother was in the apartment during the shooting. Several of the boy's siblings also live in the apartment.
Several family members were questioned Monday by police.
It was the city's 31st homicide of 2007.
At the John P. Holland Elementary School in Dorchester, where the boy was expected to enter second grade this fall, teachers burst into tears when they learned Monday morning that he had been killed, said Principal Michele O'Connell.
"He was a hard worker and a great reader and he was a good friend to his classmates," said O'Connell. "He was a wonderful little boy."
"It's an unusual thing to happen," she said. "It's so shocking."
Davis said Mayor Thomas Menino is returning to Boston from the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Los Angeles Monday in response to the boy's shooting.
Gov. Deval Patrick said he had been in touch with Menino's office and planned to talk to local clergy members Monday.
"Not just as a governor but as a parent, my heart aches for that family," Patrick said during a Statehouse news conference.
Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call 1-800-494-TIPS. You can also text message Crime Stoppers by texting the word "tips" to 276463. They will send you a text message response, which will then allow you to text your information.
(© 2007 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
Click to enlarge
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
Comments