Woman killed in Dorchester shooting

A woman in her 30s was killed and a man seriously injured last night in a double shooting in Dorchester that left one activist wondering when the community will break free of the deadly grip of violence.

The female victim was pronounced dead shortly after her arrival at Brigham and Women's Hospital, police said. A 21-year-old man, who police said sustained multiple wounds, was listed in serious condition at Brigham and Women's, officials said.

The victims' names were not released. The shooting is under investigation, police said. The death was the 56th homicide of the year in Boston, compared with 58 at this time last year, police said.

Police said a gunfire detector on Hopestill Street recorded multiple shots at 7:52 p.m., minutes before police received a 911 call about the shooting on Talbot Avenue.

"I came running down the street and found a woman lying on the sidewalk bleeding," said Charles Bowen, 55, who lives on nearby Norwell Street. "I told a woman on her porch to call 911."

The suspects, believed to have been a woman and two men, fled on foot after firing multiple rounds from a single gun, police said.

Police Superintendent John Gallagher told reporters at the scene last night that the neighborhood has been a hot spot for gun violence and the police were able to respond quickly.

R.W. Pendleton, 43, a Dorchester community activist and nearby resident who came to the scene last night, said that despite the police presence, his neighborhood seems gripped by gun violence.

"I believe [the police] are attacking the problem from all angles, but without the support of the community, nothing can be accomplished," he said. "There's a myth that working with the police is a form of being a snitch, but you're not a snitch when it's your kid."