A man was found dead on Tuesday after police responded to calls for a person shot near 332 Harvard Street in Dorchester.
When officers arrived at the Dorchester apartment building, a fire had broken out in the first floor unit. Once the fire was cleared, officers entered the apartment and found the 37-year-old suffering from a gunshot wound. He was soon pronounced dead on the scene by EMS.
A 34-year-old woman was transported to Brigham and Women’s Hospital with non-life threatening injuries, also from a gunshot wound.
Neither victim has been identified, but neighbors noted that the two were a couple, the Boston Globe reported:
Ashton Marshall, 25, said he saw smoke coming from the building and saw a 19- or 20-year-old man shouting “Fire!” from the third floor, saying he and a baby were trapped inside.
“He was out the window, screaming,” Marshall said.
Marshall called 911. He said a cable company worker doing a job nearby also called the emergency line. Firefighters arrived quickly, Marshall said.
“There are a lot of unknowns here,” Police Commissioner William B. Evans said at a news conference, according to the Globe. Investigators are still trying to determine if the fire was deliberate.
BPD’s full statement is below:
At about 11:25 AM on Tuesday, March 31, 2015, officers from District B-3 (Mattapan) responded to a radio call for a person shot in the area of 332 Harvard Street, Dorchester.
Upon arrival, officers observed that a fire had been set in the first floor residence of the above. Boston fire personnel responded and were quickly able to contain the fire. Officers entered the apartment and found a 37-year-old male victim suffering from an apparent gunshot wound. Boston EMTs pronounced the male victim deceased at the scene. A second, 34-year-old female victim was transported to Brigham and Women’s Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
The Boston Police Department is actively investigating the facts and circumstances surrounding this incident. Anyone with information is strongly urged to contact Boston Police Homicide Detectives at (617) 343-4470.
Community members wishing to assist this investigation anonymously can do so by calling the CrimeStoppers Tip Line at 1 (800) 494-TIPS or by texting the word ‘TIP’ to CRIME (27463). The Boston Police Department will stringently guard and protect the identities of all those who wish to help this investigation in an anonymous manner.
