Gunman sought revenge, police say

Baby is called victim in feud between gangs

A 6-month-old baby whose liver was pierced by a bullet as her father cradled her in his arms is the latest victim of an escalating feud between rival Jamaica Plain gangs that has already taken two lives, according to several law enforcement officials.

Alianna Peguero remained in critical condition at the Boston Medical Center last night with a severely damaged liver, said police and a relative.

Police say that an unknown person scaled the balcony of the family's Mattapan apartment late Monday and shot through a sliding glass door, hitting Alianna in the abdomen and her 48-year-old father, Alinson, in the left hand.

As detectives cordoned off the area, scoured the balcony, and sawed off railings in search of evidence, police officials said they were receiving only "limited cooperation" from the victims' family.

The shooting lasted just seconds, but the events that led up to it have been unfolding for at least nine months, according to law enforcement officials and family members. The shooting showed the retaliatory nature of some of the city's street gangs and the extent to which they will go to settle a score.

Last September, Alinson Peguero's 20-year-old son, Alan, was shot to death as he worked at the family's convenience store in Dorchester. Several law enforcement officials said Alan Peguero was a gang associate, though one of the officials said Peguero was a minor player.

In April, a member of a rival gang was shot to death on a basketball court in Jamaica Plain, in what police believe was an act of revenge. The victim was identified as Luis Troncoso, 20, and his killing, along with Peguero's, remains unsolved.

Now, police are investigating the possibility that a member of Troncoso's gang went after Peguero's family Monday night in yet another act of retaliation, shooting the baby, Alianna, as they fired at her father.

The shooting of an infant rubbed nerves raw in a city on edge over the possibility of summer violence.

"As a father and a member of law enforcement, it is reprehensible to me that an infant child is an innocent victim of reckless gun violence and ongoing gang activity," Police Commissioner Edward F. Davis said in a prepared statement. "The coward responsible for this act deserves the most severe sentence."

Indira Castillo, who was Alan Peguero's half-sister, said she believes Alinson was targeted because of Troncoso's death. About two months ago, the family had to paint over graffiti someone had left on the exterior of their Dorchester store. It read "RIP Luis Troncoso," Castillo said.

"They need to leave us alone," the slight 27-year-old nurse said yesterday, as she stood outside Boston Medical Center, where her stepsister, Alianna, was being treated by doctors. "All we do is work. All we're trying to do is heal from my brother's death."

Castillo said Alan Peguero was not a member of a gang, but was friends with people who are gang members. She described him as a hard-working man who was excited at the prospect of his sister's birth.

"He was so happy that he was going to have another sibling," she said. Troncoso's family members, who have denied Troncoso was a member of a gang, could not be reached for comment yesterday.

Police spokeswoman Elaine Driscoll said that the shooting of the baby is gang related and that police have received little cooperation from the family. Lack of cooperation, even from victims' relatives, has been a problem that has plagued police for the last several years.

Asked why the family was not cooperating, Castillo said the family has been frustrated by the slow pace of the investigation into Alan Peguero's death.

"What needs to happen?" she said. "Does one of us have to be killed or injured so [detectives] can get moving?"

Alinson Peguero was watching television in his apartment at 70 Fairlawn Ave. at about 8:30 p.m. Monday, when shots were fired through the sliding glass door. Peguero grabbed his daughter at the sound of the gunshots, and one bullet pierced his left hand, apparently striking her, according to police. Neighbors said they heard three shots.

When officers arrived, they could hear wailing from the apartment. Inside, the police found blood in the kitchen. Then they saw the child crying, wounded and covered in blood, lying on a hallway floor.

An ambulance was on its way, but the officers feared that the baby would die if she was not immediately rushed to the hospital. They wrapped her in a blanket, placed her in the front seat of the police vehicle, and sped to Caritas Carney Hospital, where doctors stabilized her before transferring her to Boston Medical.

Yesterday, police cordoned off the sidewalk around the three-story, light-brown apartment building, as investigators scoured the balcony of the Pegueros's first-floor apartment for evidence. The glass sliding door was shattered.

Alinson Peguero had complained to police two weeks ago that he had been harassed, said one of his relatives, a cousin from Jamaica Plain who identified herself only as Altagracia. His wife was working at the convenience store at the time of the shooting, she said. "I was just holding their baby last Friday," Altagracia said. "She's such a beautiful little girl."

Councilor Charles Yancey, who has been pushing to improve 911 response, said last night that he plans to call for a public hearing to determine whether it took too long for the ambulance to arrive at the shooting scene. Police said the ambulance came in about 8 minutes.

"Minutes can make the difference between life and death," said Yancey, who spoke from the scene of another shooting in Dorchester last night.

Brian Ballou of the Globe staff and Globe correspondent Jonelle Marte contributed to this report. Maria Cramer can be reached at mcramer@globe.com.