Former Boston High School Dean Arrested on ‘Execution-Style’ Shooting of Student

Shaun Harrison, a former English High School employee and Dorchester reverend, was arraigned Thursday for allegedly shooting a student execution-style in Roxbury on Tuesday night.
Shaun Harrison, a former English High School employee and Dorchester reverend, was arraigned Thursday for allegedly shooting a student execution-style in Roxbury on Tuesday night. –The Boston Globe/Adam Boghosian

A former Boston English High School dean and Dorchester reverend was arraigned in court Thursday after allegedly shooting a student “execution-style’’ in Roxbury on Tuesday night, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office.

Shaun O. Harrison, 55, pleaded not guilty to charges of assault with intent to murder, aggravated assault and battery, and unlawful possession of a firearm, authorities said.

Around 7:15 p.m. Tuesday, Harrison lured a 17-year-old student onto Magazine Street with promises of girls and drugs, and then shot the student in the back of the head with a handgun, before fleeing on foot, according to authorities.

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Police said surveillance footage from a local business captured the incident.

Amazingly, the student, who police have not identified, survived the shooting and was taken to Boston Medical Center for treatment. The student told police that he sold marijuana for Harrison, who ran a drug ring, until the two got into a dispute.

Though Assistant District Attorney David Bradley requested bail be set at $750,000, Roxbury Municipal Court Judge David Poole set bail at $250,000. Poole also ordered Harrison to home confinement, GPS monitoring, and to stay away from the victim in the event he is released.

According to Boston Public Schools spokesperson Denise Snyder, Harrison had been the “Dean of Academy’’ at Boston English High School in Jamaica Plain. He was fired Thursday.

Harrison is expected to return to court on April 6.

Correction: An initial version of this story said the shooting occurred on Thursday night.

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