Recent shootings rattle North Cambridge residents

Street robberies, drug sales, and house break-ins have dominated local news, and recent reports of gunfire - four incidents in 12 days - have set off alarm among residents.

In two cases, police say, shots were fired at people driving cars. Another shooting occurred as two men were having an argument. In another instance, a man was shot in the face. All occurred at housing complexes on or near Rindge.

The shootings were the first reported in this community since the start of the year, and some residents worry that the rash of violence is a sign of more trouble to come this summer.

"I'm afraid because these things are happening in my neighborhood," said Sharmin Kahn, a mother of two who lives in the Jefferson Park housing development on Rindge. "We live here, and then this has to happen. It's just dangerous."

Much of the worry centers on a stretch of Rindge near Sherman Avenue of mostly multifamily dwellings, single-family homes, and a development called Jefferson Park, the site of two of the shootings.

Jefferson Park residents say the shootings occurred late at night, after police have ended their evening patrols and just as the troublemakers are gearing up for the night.

In response to the violence, a North Cambridge neighborhood group has held meetings to discuss the issue, police have stepped up patrols on bike and foot in the area, and authorities have gone door to door, urging residents to report trouble before it escalates.

Michael Brandon - a member of the North Cambridge Stabilization Committee, which has been organizing the crime meetings - said residents wanted to discuss the recent crimes and the ways police are addressing them.

"The concern is that it's early in the season, and people are very concerned about this sort of activity," Brandon said. "My hope is that the police can be more effective, and the community can be more effective."

Police Commissioner Robert C. Haas said the shootings, which occurred from April 29 to May 11, have all taken place late at night near cars, and involve men in their 20s. Police do not believe the shootings are connected or gang-related, but think they possibly involve drug sales.

Police have identified several people in the shootings, Haas said, including some from out of town who are retaliating against neighborhood residents who were in a previous fight.

One person was injured in the shootings, Haas said.

"These are not random incidents," Haas said. "From what we can see, they were clearly targeted and premeditated type of shootings."

Haas urged people with information to tell authorities.

"They don't have to disclose their identities," he said. "But I want to encourage them to tell us what they know before something happens."

That may be a tough sell for some North Cambridge residents, who say they want to keep their heads down and their names out of the papers.

"That's the way it is around here," said a Jefferson Park man, who like most people interviewed asked to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation. "People mind their business."

On Rindge Avenue, residents who live across from Jefferson Park development describe living in fear. From their porches, they say, they have watched young men gather. And when they do, these residents say, anything can happen.

"At any given time you can have a bunch of kids out here and a fight will just break out," said one Rindge Avenue father. "It's not just the kids from here. It's the kids from other neighborhoods coming here."

Kevin Seyan said he was talking to a group of guys in the parking lot of the Jefferson Park development on May 8 when a stranger approached them and opened fire.

Seyan, 22, felt something hit his face. He saw blood, used his hand to cover his jaw, then ran for cover.

"Anybody at any time could have been his target," Seyan said. "But I just happened to be there."

That's what worries Jennice Sanchez, who has a toddler.

Sanchez, 23, said she won't let him play outside.

"I don't like him playing around here," she said. "I don't think it's safe."

Meghan Irons can be reached at mirons@globe.com.