Teenager is fatally shot near T station
A teenage male was fatally shot last night near the Jackson Square MBTA station in Roxbury, the city's second homicide this year and the third shooting of a teenager in Boston in the past three weeks, police said.
The teenager, whom police did not identify, collapsed after running several blocks toward the T station after he was shot on Horan Way, police said.
The city's last three homicide victims are the youngest to die by gunfire in at least two years. At this time last year there had been two homicides.
Police said they had made no arrests and did not know of a motive for the shooting, which occurred in an area rife with violence. The shooting occurred about 7:20 p.m. The youth, whom police said was "in his mid - to late teens," was taken to Boston Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
"At first, I thought it was firecrackers," said Greichny Floremon , 28, who was sleeping in her Parker Street apartment near Horan Way when she awoke to the sound of gunfire. "I heard definitely more than four shots. It makes me feel unsafe. I have a 4-year-old son, and I don't feel safe going through the park with him."
An official at the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, which briefly suspended bus service to Jackson Square, said the youth was shot in the chest.
The shooting follows the killing of Jason Fernandes, 14, an eighth-grader who was buried this week in Brockton. Fernandes was fatally shot as he was leaving a New Year's Eve family gathering on Clarkson Street in Dorchester, about five hours into 2007. Christian "Manny" Resendes, Jason's cousin, was also shot, but survived. Police have yet to report making any arrests in the case.
On Dec. 22, Emmanuel B. Saintil of Mattapan, another 14-year-old eighth-grader, was fatally shot in the chest on Cummins Highway in Mattapan. He was walking home with a 13-year-old friend who also was shot but survived. Police have yet to announce any arrests in Saintil's shooting.
In an effort to stem gun violence, Mayor Thomas M. Menino urged state lawmakers this week to suspend driver's licenses and revoke the vehicle registrations of residents convicted of firearms violations in Massachusetts. The mayor proposed that the charges be listed on driving records, so they are available to police during traffic stops. In a speech this week, Menino also called for deploying 190 more police officers on the streets this year.
"Increasing police presence is more reactionary," said Felicia Freeman, 23, of Dorchester, who was waiting for a bus at Jackson Square station last night. "I think you should focus more on the root of the problem, more preemptive action."
Last year, there were 74 homicides, one fewer than in the previous year, when there was a 10-year high.
Police asked anyone with information about last night's shooting to call 617-343-4470 or 800-494-TIPS.
Globe correspondents Michael Naughton and Khristopher Flack contributed to this report. 
