Brazen fatal shooting of 15-year-old unnerves even the police

Around 7:20 a.m. yesterday, the unidentified suspect walked across the street and approached 15-year-old Soheil Turner, who had just walked out of a Roxbury bodega, munching on a snack, according to police.

The man and the boy spoke briefly. Turner, an eighth-grader who had been waiting to catch the bus to school, did not appear to be afraid, according to video surveillance viewed by a law enforcement official who requested anonymity.

Then the man pulled out a gun and shot Turner twice in the head, police said.

The early morning shooting outside Nunez Market, not far from bustling Dudley Square, shattered the sleepy routine of commuters heading to work, shopkeepers opening their stores, and children going to school. In a neighborhood that has experienced considerable violence, the shooter's cold boldness shocked residents and unnerved police.

Turner, who went to school at Warren-Prescott K-8 School in Charlestown, died last night at Boston Medical Center after his family had him taken off life support at 8:30, said a family member, Bishop Robert C. Perry of Mount Olive Kingdom Builders Worship Center.

"It's repulsive to hear the matter-of-fact method in which this happened," said Police Commissioner Edward F. Davis, who declined to describe details of the attack. "A young man on his way to school having someone just with complete disregard for the safety of anyone viciously attack this victim in full view of the neighborhood and buses passing by. It's just repugnant."

Police closed off a long stretch of Dudley Street, from Hampden Street to Mount Pleasant Avenue, as they investigated the scene and scoured footage from surveillance cameras in the area.

Officials described the suspect as a black male, approximately 19 years old, 5 foot 9 to 6 foot 1, and thin. He was wearing a black jacket with a black or dark-green hooded sweatshirt and black sunglasses, and he was carrying a colored umbrella.

Deputy Superintendent Thomas Lee said it appeared that the attack was not random and that the suspect targeted Turner.

The boy's family gathered at his house in the Orchard Gardens Housing Development in Roxbury yesterday while his mother spent the day with him at Boston Medical Center. Mayor Thomas M. Menino visited Turner's home yesterday evening. The boy's father and grandfather are city employees.

Turner was described as a quiet, unassuming, sometimes shy boy who loved to play basketball. He had never been in trouble with police, had no gang affiliations, and usually spent his afternoons at the Vine Street Community Center, shooting hoops and playing on computers, said David Hinton, the cluster administrator at Vine Street and Orchard Gardens community centers. Hinton said he learned of the shooting from one of his staff members.

"It's almost as if I didn't want to get out of bed this morning," Hinton said. "I wish I'd turned over and never come to work. It's really tough. When it's a kid who is really not into [criminal life], it really hurts and really hits home."

Turner's uncle, Jamal Turner, 20, described his nephew as a typical kid.

"He's a good kid, a good person, and enjoyed life just like any other 15-year-old should," he said, standing near the family's home. He said his sister, Turner's mother, Shana, 33, is grief stricken.

"She would have taken that bullet for him," Jamal Turner said. "I would have taken that bullet for him. A lot of people would have taken that bullet for him."

Soheil Turner, who played basketball for the Boston Neighborhood Basketball League, was not an "impact player," Davis said, referring to gang members who are known to be highly dangerous.

Two law enforcement officials with knowledge of the case, who requested anonymity, said Turner "was not on the radar screen."

Davis said that police are interviewing many people who were at the scene and that investigators believe there are more witnesses who have not come forward yet.

"We really do need the cooperation from the public," he said.

Asked if police are following any leads, Davis declined to comment but said, "We're happy with the progress of the investigation so far."

Joanne Lewis, who lives above Nunez Market, said she was in her apartment when she heard gunshots.

"I heard a couple of shots," she said. "I didn't hear no arguing."

At about the same time, one of her daughters was walking out of their building with Lewis's 11-year old granddaughter.

They ran upstairs and told Lewis that a boy was outside, bleeding.

When Lewis followed them outside, she saw Turner sprawled on the street. As Lewis rushed back inside to call 911, she heard the wails of an approaching ambulance.

Lewis said she had moved from another street in Roxbury, hoping her new neighborhood would be quieter. Despite yesterday's violence, she said, she does not see the point in moving again.

"Everywhere you go, there is violence," Lewis said. "You can't get away from it."

Turner, who went by the nickname Soey, had been playing basketball at the Vine Street Community Center for about four to five years, Hinton said. His great-uncle runs a program at the center that brings together neighborhood children and seniors for fishing trips on Cape Cod.

On the court, Turner was an aggressive ballplayer, Hinton said, but he never fought with players or got angry.

"He was very quiet," Hinton said. "If you got three words out of him, you were lucky."

Family and friends said they can only speculate that the man who shot him associated him with a rival.

"You really have to learn to separate yourself," Hinton said. "He did a great job of separating himself from those guys, but when someone thinks you're with someone, it's kind of hard to prove you're not."

Milton J. Valencia of the Globe staff contributed to this report.