Youth, 15, charged in Dorchester shooting

A 15-year-old from Dorchester accused of shooting a man in the chest in what police say was a brazen daylight ambush was ordered held on $750,000 cash bail after he was arraigned yesterday in juvenile court.

The teenager, whose name was not released because of his age, is accused in a shooting Thursday afternoon near the intersection of Woodlawn Street and Hyde Park Avenue that sent a 21-year-old Dorchester man to the hospital with a bullet wound in his chest.

"We've seen adult offenders exploiting the juvenile justice system by asking young people to hold guns in the expectation that they'll receive a slap on the wrist," Suffolk District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said in a statement. "The bail set today should send a strong message to anyone who would use a firearm on our streets: Young or old, you're going to be held and you're going to be prosecuted aggressively."

The teenager was one of three defendants charged in the case. Andre L. Givens, 19, of Mattapan, and Karl P. Baxter, 18, of Dorchester, were both arraigned in West Roxbury Municipal Court. Baxter was held on $100,000 cash bail, and his bail was also revoked on an unrelated assault and battery in Dorchester. Givens was held on $250,000 cash bail.

All three are charged with armed assault with intent to murder, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition, and unlawfully carrying a loaded firearm.

According to prosecutors, the three defendants were in a Dodge Intrepid with Baxter driving. They pulled next to a pickup truck just before 3 p.m. and the 15-year-old fired several shots, prosecutors said.

The victim was rushed to Brigham and Women's Hospital, where he underwent surgery. He was in serious but stable condition yesterday, prosecutors said.