Man injured in shooting in Jamaica Plain

A 21-year-old man was shot in the chest yesterday afternoon as he arrived at a Jamaica Plain chiropractor's office for treatment, in what police said appeared to be an ambush.

The shooting, which left the unidentified man in stable condition at Brigham and Women's Hospital, occurred at 3 p.m. near a busy stretch of Hyde Park Avenue just across the street from the Forest Hills T station.

"The people who were shooting knew that they would be there," said Police Superintendent John Gallagher.

Police arrested three suspects who attempted to flee in a waiting car, authorities said. They declined to release the names of the victim or suspects.

According to police and several witnesses, the victim was riding in the front passenger seat of a pickup truck his brother was driving.

The vehicle turned off Hyde Park Avenue onto Woodlawn Street.

Near the middle of the street, a car with at least two men inside pulled up next to the passenger's side of the pickup truck and someone inside the car began shooting at the truck.

One bullet hit the passenger in the upper right part of his chest as his brother put the truck in reverse and sped back toward Hyde Park Avenue.

The truck hit a concrete street sign post at the entrance of the street.

The victim then staggered out of the truck and fell to the pavement, holding the right side of his chest with his hand.

The victim and his brother ran into the Feel Well Rehab Clinic at 12 Hyde Park Avenue, where the victim had an appointment, according to Steven Raposo, a chiropractor who works at the clinic.

"His brother was hysterical," Raposo said. "He kept telling him, 'Stay with me; stay with me.' "

The victim had collapsed on the floor of the clinic, and several people huddled around him, Raposo said. "The brother also told us that it was random, that they didn't know who the shooters were."

A police officer drove past the scene of the shooting moments after it occurred, Gallagher said, and police swarmed into the area within minutes.

In the meantime, Gallagher said, two of the suspects got out of the car and ran to another car that was apparently waiting for them less than a quarter-mile away, near the entrance of Forest Hills Cemetery. A driver was waiting.

As the suspects attempted to get into the car, police arrested them, along with the driver. Police also recovered a firearm the suspects apparently discarded.

The three men, who Gallagher said were in their late teens or early 20s, were handcuffed.

About a dozen police officers, most of whom were in civilian clothing, surrounded the three suspects, asking questions before leading them into three police cars and driving off.