'Everyone was saying, "Some kid got shot" '
Boy, 7, caught in burst of bullets while playing outside in Roxbury
A 7-year-old boy playing kickball near his school was hit by a stray bullet last night in a shooting that sent children scrambling and shocked neighbors who struggled to believe that a youngster could fall victim to the violence plaguing their Roxbury neighborhood. At least two other men were shot.
"Certain things go on around this area, but a little kid getting shot is way different; it's out of control," said Shawn Reeves, who added that he has lived all of his 27 years on Smith Street, where the boy collapsed after running from the shooting scene.
The child, whose name was not released, was shot in the back and was undergoing surgery last night at Boston Medical Center. The hospital would not comment on his condition, but police spokesman David Estrada said the boy was in stable condition. One officer said he may have also been hit in the shoulder.
Neighbors said the boy was playing kickball with other children in the Mission Main housing complex off Tremont Street when shots rang out. Some, including Reeves's niece, ran home.
Andre Pinto from nearby Parker Street has a 5-year-old who attends Tobin School, as does the boy who got shot.
"For my kid's safety, I really do feel scared," he said. "Bullets really have no name."
He said that the neighborhood is a close-knit group of people and that the shootings are so random they have shocked the community.
"Kids just pick up a gun and want to shoot," he said. "They don't care what they hit."
Police said they believe the shootings started on Tremont Street between Parker and Sewall streets. One man showed up at Brigham and Women's Hospital with gunshot wounds. A third person went to police headquarters, also wounded by shots.
Police said that the second victim's injuries were related to the shootings and that they believe the third man was also wounded in that incident. The conditions of the other victims were unknown last night.
The shootings occurred just before 7 p.m. as the light was fading. Police Superintendent-in-Chief Robert Dunford said police were still investigating whether the shootings occurred in several places.
"People heard gunshots, then they heard a bunch of other shots," he said.
Dunford said police believe the boy was hit by a ricocheting bullet. He could not say how many shots were fired, but neighbors said they heard at least seven.
Reeves said his niece was in the same playground area as the youth when the shots were fired.
"He was on the ground," Reeves said. "I saw his T-shirt, blood and everything. Some kid got shot. Everyone was saying, 'Some kid got shot.' "
Neighbors, who did not want their names used, said last night that they did not know the boy's name but that have seen him in the neighborhood and that he was friendly. They added that they saw the boy's bloodstained T-shirt on the ground.
The shootings were a chilling reminder that even children can fall victim to street violence that has roiled Boston's neighborhoods. Two weeks ago, an infant was shot in what police believe was a gang-related attack while in her father's arms.
Police continue to investigate the June 19 shooting of a Mattapan man who was holding his infant when someone climbed onto the balcony of his Fairlawn Avenue home and fired, hitting him in the hand before striking his daughter. Five-month-old Alianna Peguero has since been released from the hospital and returned home.
Police believe that the father, Alinson Peguero, 46, was targeted in what may have been gang retaliation. Peguero's 20-year-old son, Alan, was killed Sept. 4 while working at the family's convenience store in Dorchester.
Globe correspondent Kate Augusto contributed to this report.
Milton Valencia can be reached at mvalencia@globe.com. 