Suspect arraigned in fatal shooting at Dorchester auto shop

A Jamaica Plain man accused of killing his mechanic was arraigned yesterday on murder charges.

Police said Felix Jimenez, 29, shot Benjamin Ayala, 27, in the chest at close range in a dispute in the garage bay of the Larquenta auto repair shop on Ceylon Street on Wednesday evening. Ayala was rushed to Boston Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. Jimenez pleaded not guilty in Dorchester District Court.

Another murder suspect, Norman Nord, 28, of Dorchester was arraigned yesterday on charges of shooting his girlfriend, Deshanta Bailey, 29, early Saturday. Nord pleaded not guilty.

Meanwhile, police were looking for suspects in a shooting early yesterday in which an unidentified man was found dead on Marden Avenue in Dorchester. Police did not release further information. City leaders are working hard to quell the mounting toll of homicides. Yesterday in Roxbury, about 75 people, including Suffolk District Attorney Daniel F. Conley, attended an antiviolence rally at Ramsey Park, near where basketball coach William "Biggie" Gaines was fatally shot last month.Onlookers were encouraged to cooperate with authorities in identifying violent criminals.

The Rev. Steven Thomas from Asah Temple in Roxbury, who organized the gathering, vowed to visit parks weekly. "We will stand together," he said. "Law enforcement have committed to being in our parks, and we also commit to be there with them, because we refuse to lose another child, another father, another mother, and another friend."

Earlier yesterday, Mayor Thomas M. Menino said police could not have prevented the mechanic's shooting.

"How could the police prevent that?" Menino said. "The guy doesn't like his grease job, so he pulls out a gun and shoots him?"

Heather Allen, Alonso Soto, Tyrone Richardson, and Sofia Santana contributed to this report.