Thursday, 4:30 PM
Shooting shatters quiet neighborhood near Mattapan Square
By John R. Ellement, Globe Staff
The 20-year-old woman who was killed in Mattapan overnight was described by neighbors today as a hard-working college student who was gunned down while chatting on a typically quiet, tree-lined street.
The woman was standing outside a relative's home where she once lived on Gladeside Avenue at 10 p.m. when four to six gunshots rang out, neighbors said. The woman was rushed to Boston Medical Center and pronounced dead. Three men were also shot and are expected to survive. Police did not release the names of any of the victims.
Neighbors said the woman was dropping off relatives on Gladeside Avenue and stopped to talk. "She was excellent. She was very quiet. She didn't have problems with nobody," said Myson Pett-Maitre, who lives next door to the woman's relatives.
Investigators returned to the crime scene today after neighbors found an empty shell casing and two spent bullets. Police have released few details about the shooting and have not reporting making any arrests.
Keith Richardson, 42, said that one of the victims was his brother, Kevin, 41. Richardson, who lives a few doors down from where the shooting occurred, ran outside when he heard the gunfire, and saw what he described as "chaos." Richardson said his brother was shot in one arm and a leg but is expected to survive after surgery.
Violence is rare in the neighborhood of one- and two-family homes a short distance from Mattapan Square. "It's a very peaceful," said Tony Phillips, who has lived there 12 years. "I've raised my kids here. There’s no gunshots around here."
