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Triple shooting leaves one dead in Roslindale
By adamg on Wed, 01/16/2008 - 4:08pm
An ambush shooting at Metropolitan Avenue and Poplar Street around 1:16 p.m. today left one dead and two local schools locked down.
Boston Police report three young men, 17-23, were in a limo with a driver when their car was raked with gunfire. The driver, unhurt, then took off toward Washington Street, coming to a stop at Beech and Beram streets, in front of the Bates school.
The Bates was locked down for 30 minutes, as was the Conley Elementary School on Poplar Street, a couple of blocks from the shooting scene.
The dead victim was shot in the head; another victim, shot in the chest, is in critical condition at a local hospital. The third victim was shot in the leg and is expected to survive.
Police are asking anybody who might have been on the 50 MBTA bus as it passed Poplar and Metropolitan to contact them at 617-343-4470, or anonymously at 800-494-TIPS or via text "tip" to 27463.
A year ago, two teenagers were shot around the corner from the Bates at Washington and Beech.
Ed. arrgh note: That hits a little too close to home. The kidlet's bus stop is at Metropolitan and Poplar (and she plays sometimes at the Conley playground); I drive by the Bates on the way to work.
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Comments
Close to home?
Funny, Boston.com thinks it's more important about Randy Moss than what's happening in Roslindale, if you check out their site.
Heartbreaking.
Even worse
There was a shooting in Dorchester today as well (in addition to that kid who got murdered last night).
I still don't understand why
I still don't understand why we can't end gang violence in Boston.
Nobody should have to grow up in that environment.
And once we give *everyone* a fair shake, anyone who still wants to play gangster after that should be exiled to an island where everything is poisonous.
Boston.com
I see the Roslindale shooting pretty prominently on their front page, complete with a photo.
People will slam me for saying this, but - Roslindale is not the kind of neighborhood where I expect these things to ever happen.
Two things
Yes, it's "above the fold," but it's below the Randy Moss story, which obviously has had more resources put into it: Photos, videos AND a transcript. Compare to the violence package, which is out of date (there's been a fifth shooting, in Dorchester).
As for Roslindale, no, Roslindale is not the kind of neighborhood where you'd expect this sort of thing to happen - but thanks for reminding me to add a link to the story about the double shooting around the corner from that location last February.
Location of shooting?
The Boston.com article says the "bullet-ridden car" was found at Washington and Beech (your Google streetview) but that the shooting happened at Poplar and Metropolitan.
Updated the post
Apparently, it happened at Poplar and Metropolitan, which means the limo driver either sped up Metropolitan, then turned left on Kittredge, then right on Beech or went down to Glendower, turned right, then left on Kittredge. Which route he took (and where he was heading) probably depends on how familiar he is with the area. One question, of course: Where, exactly was he trying to go? The housing project? Beram is an entrance to the place. Faulkner? Wrong way. Dedham? West Roxbury?
One thing I'm really grateful for now, if something like this has to happen at all; is that it didn't happen a couple hours later when our kid would have been getting off her bus right at that intersection.
Weren't there complaints
Weren't there complaints about drug dealing right down the street from there in the last couple of years? I thought it was down behing the school somewere towards the railroad tracks. I was surprised at the time when I heard it. Maybe Dale street?
Oh, yeah, Dale Street
At the bridge over the train tracks, to be exact. Also where gangbanger wannabes from West Roxbury go to practice their chops.
Didn't realize that was current, though (in fact, the last time I walked over the bridge, a couple months ago, I didn't notice any major gangish graffiti, unlike a couple years ago).
But it'll be interesting to find out why the limo driver headed for Beech Street; it's not where I would go (then again, I've never driven a bullet-riddled limo with three bleeding guys in the back, so who knows what he was thinking?).
View Larger Map
Oh, wow, more recent than I thought
Graffiti, gunshots among Dale Street Bridge worries, Aug. 30, 2007.
And what about BostonHerald.com?
A tabloid that prides itself on sensational coverage of urban crime, but no article at all on its web page.
They have it, but it's buried
You need the RSS feed; the home page kinda lags.
arrrgh! me too
I live one block south of Washington Street. What the heck is going on around here!!!
Rozzie Shooting
Anyone who is shocked that some guys were found shot
in a car at the corner of Beech and Washington is either from Wellesley or completely delusional.
The Beechland Project there is one of the worst in Boston,
and a notorious drug hot spot.
It aint your father's Roslindale any more.
Please
It's worse than Archdale or Bromley Heath?
In any case, I'm not sure this is much better: The Herald's reporting the three were shot by "a team of gunmen" who followed them from a funeral of a gang member gunned down last week in Dorchester.
A team of gunmen! Jesus.
You oughta visit the neighborhood some time
It's a nice place with lots of families and nice houses and schools
Indeed!
Our "father's Roslindale" was the abbandoned wasteland in the 70s, when the metaphorical father left for the burbs, leaving Rozzie in the hands of arsonists and drug dealers. We've taken it back, and it is one of the safest neighborhoods in the city. As Adam says, it hits close to home, but mainly because it is so unlikely.
My daughter's class was actually in the schoolyard for Gym when everything happened -- a BPD officer approached the teacher, who then conducted the children inside for the lock down. Everybody behaved very professionally and I am confident that the children were quite safe.
It may seem shocking that this happened practically across the street from the school, but at the same time, this was not random violence. It was targeted, outsider against outsider. Just dumb luck that it happened where it did. That's part of life, and I'm not going to worry about it.
The thing that bothers me now
Is not what this says about Roslindale (because it doesn't say anything about Roslindale; like you said, Roslindale is far better than the 1970s version and this was a case of outsiders-vs.-outsiders), but the idea that, as the Herald put it, "a team of gunmen" followed these guys from the cemetery. You'd expect to read about something like that in 1920's Chicago, not Boston. But maybe I've been just living in my little "suburban" bubble here - it's not as if gang murders are a new phenomenon in Boston, alas.
Glad to hear things went well at the Conley. Did you talk to your daughter about what happened? If so, what did you tell her? We haven't told our kid about it because why make her feel unsafe when we don't think she is and she wasn't directly affected by yesterday's events, being in school a few miles away and all.
Quite a bit of talk
Yes, we did talk to her and our son who is in Kindergarten. I'm not sure I would have told them exactly what happened, but my wife had already told them that the lock down was related to a shooting. At the time, she thought it was by the Bates, and told them it was near another school. We did not tell them whether anybody was hurt, or that somebody was killed.
It is hard to gauge what a five and seven year old might think about this kind of thing, but they both seemed to be clear on the idea that it was bad people shooting at each other, had nothing to do with the school, and that they were very safe. I really emphasized that last point, telling them that the police, teachers, and administrators all worked together to make sure that everybody would be save. I think they felt assured about that.
Your kid
That's probably the right decision for now, but does she ever read the Globe or Herald or Universal Hub? At some point, unfortunately, she's likely to hear something.
Universal Hub is the start-up page on her Web browser
So I'm sure it will come up. And we'll talk about it.
Absurd
If you mean that its currently filling up with yuppies and young couples with kids I suppose your're probably right. You should stop by to see Roslindale sometime. You will find that it is quite safe.
Not to defend the comment
But I'm pretty sure the poster was referring specifically to the housing project at the intersection of Washington and Beech, not the entire neighborhood.
The project itself is now scheduled to be torn down and replaced by townhouses or something (paid for in part by selling off a downtown parking garage).
Your Father's Roslindale...
Yeah, just when a get a hankerin' to go to the Pleasant, THIS happens!!!!!!!
The Pleasant
If you still want to go, and you want a bodyguard, I'll protect you. I'd take a bullet for the pizza at The Pleasant!
Suldog
http://jimsuldog.blogspot.com
Pizza @ the Pleasant
That's very nice of you, Suldog! I will keep you in mind...
Christine
Cards On The Table
Just so there's no confusion - MY WIFE will accompany me. However, that affords you double the protection!
Suldog
http://jimsuldog.blogspot.com
Three-topping Pizzas
Excellent!!
Also OUR family's bus stop
I didn't realize this happened about a block from our house.
Describing the scene of a young man's death
Lizk was working at home in Roslindale when she first heard a helicopter circling overhead - and helicopters never circle overhead in Roslindale. She writes about the shooting and paints of picture of the scene:
Beyond creepy
Dennis Lehane's first book, "A Drink Before the War"
includes a very similar scene with gangbangers glaring
at each other from opposite sides of the grave. A short
interval in the war. Creepy.
Why he doesn't watch the local news anymore
Harold M. Clemens writes:
Maybe why the limo headed to Beech Street
The Transcript reports one of the three guys lived at the Washington Beech project - he'd recently moved there from Dorchester. And he was, as they say, known to police:
More comments
Omg this is unbelievable! Kat keep your head up! I'll keep your fam and his as well in my prayers!
R.I.P Sam!
on January 17, 2008 07:53 AM
STAY UP KAT!
REMY on January 17, 2008 09:11 AM
DAMN CHECK YOUR INFO BEFORE YOU START LEAVING COMMENTS... SAM DID NOT GET KILLED!!! PLEASE DO NOT BURY HIM BEFORE HIS TIME!!
'A GREENWOOD WIFE' on January 19, 2008 07:49 PM
WELL MY GOODNESS GREENWOOD WIFE RELAX THAT PERSON JUST FIGURED IT SHOULD OF BEEN SAM INSTEAD! HE NEEDS NO HELP BURYING HIMSELF BEFORE HIS TIME. ALL THE VIOLENCE THATS BEEN GOING ON SAM IS BURYING HIMSELF! GET A DAYJOB...
on January 24, 2008 12:06 AM
All the drama about who died and who didn't is unnecessary. And whom ever said it should have been Sam instead can go to Hell! The truth is, it shouldn't have been either of them. And niggas just need to keep their eyes open cause their obviously being watched! People need to come up with a solution to kill this violence cause we loosing to many real niggas to this bullshit! I wish people would realize that their takin away lives of people who didn't get a chance to see their kids grow, or lives of people who are trying to change their lives around! This shit needs to stop before theres no more young niggas left! R.I.P YUM YUM We have you in our hearts forever!
on January 24, 2008 10:01 AM
damn babii i miss u i kno u really wanted to b wit me and i really miss u..u did what u did but u had mad love 4 me...n i didnt get to sho my love bac..im sorry 4 that yummy bear...i got mad love u and ill c u in the sky boo boo
yums wifey 4 lyf on January 25, 2008 02:08 PM
u guys need to stop the violence,cuz ya'll started a beef know your crying the blues get a life and a job your projects aint there no more real talk stop trying to be gangster,,and take care of your kids...R.I.Piss
on July 28, 2008 03:20 AM
Rest In Peace to my boy Darrius hope u in heaven puffin on a blunt!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Madd LOVE D3MMYQ
on August 2, 2008 08:57 PM