2 boys shot sitting on Roxbury porch

Violence erupts elsewhere in city

Police at the scene of a shooting on Bragdon Street in Roxbury where a 17-year-old and his 4-year-old cousin were shot. (Bill Brett for The Boston Globe)

A 4-year-old boy and his teenage cousin were shot as they sat on the porch of their Roxbury home last night, the latest round of gunfire to strike a young, innocent bystander, and the beginning of a spate of violence that stretched across the city.

At least four other people were shot and three were stabbed in what police believe were unrelated incidents.

The 4-year-old, identified by a relative as Farris Glover, was struck once in the side and underwent surgery at Boston Medical Center. His condition was not immediately known.

His cousin, 17-year-old Eric Parson, was shot once in the arm. He was taken to the same hospital for treatment of injuries that were not believed to be life-threatening.

The boys' grandmother, Yvonne Johnson, was inside their Bragdon Street home when the shootings occurred about 7:40 p.m., and heard the older boy on the second-floor porch screaming for help.

The teenager had not realized he was shot and was tending to his young cousin, said Johnson.

The young boy was responding to her, she said, but he looked frightened and his face was pale.

"I just started crying," she said.

Last night, police had charged a 17-year-old in connection with the shootings. The suspect, who was not identified, is expected to be arraigned today in Boston Municipal Court. [UPDATE: Police spokeswoman Elaine Driscoll said Tuesday morning that the 17-year-old was released overnight because there was not enough evidence to charge him.]

Parson, who has lived in the area for only a few months, is believed to have been the target, and his cousin the latest innocent youngster to become a victim of gunfire.

On June 30, a 7-year-old boy was struck by a stray bullet when he was playing kickball with friends outside his home near Parker Street in Roxbury. He recovered from his injuries. On June 19, a 5-month-old girl was shot while in the arms of her father, who was also shot, in their Fairlawn Avenue home in Mattapan.

Since Jan. 1, at least 39 people in Boston ages 17 and younger have been shot, according to police records.

On Aug. 5, four teenagers ages 15 and 16 were shot as they sat on the porch of their Wardman Road home, a few blocks from Bragdon Street.

"If you look back . . . there have been some issues in the area," Ruiz said last night. He also said the age of the victims was troubling.

"It's sad when it happens to anyone, but when it happens to a child . . . it's just that much more sad," he said.

Passersby surrounded the scene of last night's shooting, just across from a Walgreen's on Columbus Avenue, expressing alarm that a 4-year-old was hit.

"This shouldn't be happening," said Ramiro Vasquez, a friend of the family. A 4-year-old can't defend himself."

Johnson said she was packing for a trip to North Carolina when "we heard 'pow, pow.' We thought it was firecrackers." She then heard her oldest grandson scream that his cousin, nicknamed Little Farris, had been hit.

Johnson said she had heard gunfire outside her home before. An alley next to her home runs parallel to Columbus Avenue, and she said teens have fired in the direction of that street before. But she never thought her grandchild would be struck.

The Bragdon Street shootings set the stage for what was a violent night in Boston. Soon after police responded to that incident, a man in his 20s was shot multiple times on Hamilton Street in Dorchester. He was taken to Brigham and Women's Hospital, where he was listed in serious condition, police spokesman David Estrada said.

Less than two hours later, three men were injured in a shooting on Harvard Street in Mattapan. They were taken to Boston Medical Center for injuries that were not considered life-threatening, Estrada said.

Three people were also stabbed last night, though police do not believe their injuries were life-threatening.

In the first incident, a man was stabbed on Maplewood Road in West Roxbury. He was taken to Brigham and Women's Hospital. A woman was stabbed in the arm on Edgemere Road in West Roxbury at 9:12 p.m. And at about 10 p.m., a man was stabbed in the hand on Walk Hill Street in Mattapan. In that incident, in which the victim refused treatment, a woman was arrested.

Globe correspondents Jeannie M. Nuss, Gabrielle T. Dunn, and Kate O'Neill Augusto and Maria Cramer of the Globe staff contributed to this report. Milton Valencia can be reached at mvalencia@globe.com.