‘Deeply troubled’ Rollins credits police work with her office

A 15-year-old Dorchester boy was killed in Roxbury and four people were murdered in Dorchester and Mattapan over the long, noisy, holiday weekend in Boston.

On Thursday, police responded to a shooting around 10 p.m. outside 39 Mt. Pleasant Ave. in Roxbury, where Xhavier Rico, 15, was found suffering from a gunshot wound. He later died at a local hospital.

Two other individuals — both adult men—were also apparently shot during the same incident, according to police, who said the men walked into a Boston hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Earlier that night, just after 8 p.m., police responded to Woolson Street in Mattapan after receiving calls about a man with a gun. Officers say they arrested on a murder charge 35-year-old Rafael Santiago, who was holding a gun they allege he had used to shoot 22-year-old Justin Cannady, who was declared dead at the scene.

On Friday night (July 3), a fight outside a home at 42 Theodore St. led to the death of a man who had walked into Carney Hospital with a gunshot wound and later died. The victim in that case has not been named by police.

Later that night, just after 11 p.m., Boston Police say they were called to Adams Street near Ronan Park for a reported stabbing. Officers reported finding a victim in the area of 205 Adams St. suffering from “an apparent stab wound.” The male victim‚ also not yet named publicly, was taken to a local hospital where “he later succumbed to his injuries,” according to BPD.

On Monday, a 22-year-old Dorchester man was charged with murder for allegedly firing into a crowd gathered on Stonehurst Street early Sunday morning, July 5. One of the people in the crowd, 34-year-old Felicity Coleman, was struck and killed. Police arrested Kristian Maraj, who was ordered to be held without bail at Dorchester Court.

Prosecutors said Maraj had argued with men at the scene and brandished a weapon before returning a short time later and firing the fatal shots. In 2016, Maraj was arrested across the street from the murder scene on charges of unlawful possession of ammunition and possession of marijuana with intent to distribute.

Describing herself as “deeply troubled” by a recent spike in homicides and non-fatal shootings, Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins said Monday that the violence carries additional impacts because of its concentration in communities already strained by the pandemic.

Rollins commended “the excellent work done by the Boston Police Department in concert with my office regarding the arrests made in these most recent homicides.

“Those arrests are a direct result of the community placing its trust in law enforcement by calling 911 and speaking to investigators,” Rollins said.  “That trust allows us to ultimately get answers and accountability for the victim, their families, and the community.  When communities trust law enforcement, we are all safer.”