Father of four shot dead in Dorchester was not the intended target, police say

By John R. Ellement, Globe Staff

A 35-year-old father of four was being mourned today after he was fatally shot on a Dorchester street Sunday night en route to his job as a security supervisor in downtown Boston.

Boston police said the victim, Donald George Smith Jr., was not the intended target.

"At this time, detectives do not believe that he was the intended target,'' said Elaine Driscoll, police spokeswoman.”They believe he was struck by a bullet meant for someone else.’’

Shortly after the Super Bowl ended, Smith left his girlfriend’s apartment on Washington Street and was walking on Park Street when he was struck by gunfire, police and relatives said. Smith was shot about 10:40 p.m. on Park Street near its intersection with Greenbrier Street, police said. He was rushed to Boston Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

Smith, according to relatives and a co-worker, had been heading toward the Fields Corner MBTA Red Line station for a trip to downtown Boston, where he was the night supervisor for security at the Macy’s building in Downtown Crossing.

Smith had left his girlfriend's apartment in the 400 block of Washington Street after the Super Bowl ended and alerted co-workers that he would be a few minutes behind schedule.

“He was the nicest guy I know,’’ said Stephen Giampa, Smith’s supervisor at Aeropoint Security in Boston. “That’s what hurts most about this. I just don’t understand why somebody would do something like this to him.’’

Police appealed for the public’s help and asked anyone who heard or saw anything out of the ordinary in the neighborhood Sunday night to contact the CrimeStoppers Tip Line at 1-800-494-TIPS (8477) or text the word ‘TIP’ to CRIME (27463).

Smith is the city's ninth homicide victim of the year.

• Comment
• Permalink
• Email