Meeting addresses a 'senseless act'

Using a crutch and surrounded by supporters, Myron Stovell returned to Roxbury two days after a teenager shot him in the leg as Stovell coached his Pop Warner football team.

Stovell, 40, was silent as he limped into the Shelburne Community Center for a meeting with parents and children who play on his team, the Boston Bengals.

The meeting, which attracted people from across the community, was closed to the news media.

"To me, it was a senseless act," said one coach headed into the meeting, who identified himself only as Chris. "I think a lot of people are upset that it even happened. Myron is a good guy who's done nothing but try and bring good things to the community."

The 15-year-old boy charged with shooting Stovell was held without bail yesterday, charged with a variety of crimes, including armed assault with intent to murder and assault with a dangerous weapon.

He pleaded not delinquent to all charges, and a dangerousness hearing was set for Thursday. His name has not been released.

Police say Stovell was driving to practice about noon Saturday with his two children when he accidentally hit the teen's pit bull. When he exited his truck to check on the dog, police say the boy kicked the door of the truck and threatened the coach, even though the dog was not hurt.

About a half-hour later, police say, the teenager and a group of friends arrived at Washington Park, where Stovell's team was practicing, and approached the coach.

The teen produced a 9mm handgun and started firing, hitting Stovell in the leg.

As many as 50 people witnessed the shooting, including Stovell's son and players as young as 7 years old.

"The decision to bring a loaded gun to a city park and pull the trigger is reckless, brazen, and completely unacceptable," Suffolk District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said in a written statement. "We will not stand for it, and neither will the community."

Family members who answered the door at the teenager's home yesterday said the boy is known as a neighborhood sweetheart. They also stressed that he was innocent, saying he was home with his girlfriend when the incident occurred.

Few parents would talk to reporters about what was discussed at the meeting. Ingrid Tucker, whose 10-year-old son plays for the Bengals, said that Saturday's incident was a random act of violence and that the team would continue to play.

"We will keep our heads up and keep moving," she said.

Representatives from Mayor Thomas M. Menino's office and the Boston Public Health Commission were at the community center to provide counseling for players and parents, said Dorothy Joyce, the mayor's spokeswoman.

Mary Alice Johnson, whose godson plays on the team, said that the incident is disappointing and scary for parents who enroll their children in activities to keep them off the streets.

"They want to keep kids from ending up like that 15-year-old" suspect, she said.

Johnson stopped by the community center to show her support for the team, but did not attend the entire meeting.

"These children are supposed to be innocent," she said. "This is a community problem."