< Back to front page Text size – +

12-year-old wounded by stray bullet in Dorchester

E-mail|Link|Comments () July 28, 2009 04:02 PM

Wendy Maeda/Globe Staff

Neighbor Hubert Holtzclaw talked about the shooting on Whitman Street as he stood in front of his home, which was also hit by the bullets.

By Brian R. Ballou, Globe Staff

A 12-year-old girl lying in bed watching TV was wounded in the leg Monday night by a bullet that tore through the wall as her Dorchester neighborhood was peppered with shots by gang members with assault-type weapons, police said.

"It's outrageous to see the type of damage done in this neighborhood and the tragedy of this girl being shot in her own bed," said Police Commissioner Edward F. Davis. He declared that solving the crime was the department's priority today.

The girl was shot at about 8:30 p.m. while lying in a bed watching TV in a light-brown, boxy, three-decker at the end of Whitman Street. She suffered non-life-threatening injuries and returned to the house today, limping in with her parents by her side. Davis visited the family this afternoon.

The commissioner said three separate assault weapons, including an AK-47, were used, and more than a dozen rounds were fired.

Davis said the men shot at each other in "wanton disregard for the neighborhood" and declared that solving the shooting was the department's priority for the day.

Neighbors said a group of young men in the parking lot of the former Dorchester High School fired at a group of young men on Whitman Street through a fence at the end of the dead end street.

Neighbors described a wild scene, with shots ricocheting off the fence, muzzle flashes lighting up the night, clouds of gun smoke, and bullets tearing into other homes. Bullet holes could be seen today on 32 and 36 Whitman St.

"As a community, we must have no tolerance for this. We must work together to hold these suspects accountable and remove them from our community," Davis said in a statement.

The department urged community members to contact them with information. Anyone with information is urged to call detectives at 617-343-4712. People can also phone tips to 1-800-494-TIPS or text the word "TIP" to CRIME (27463).