After two deaths occurred from two separate shootings in the same night, local communities are beginning to question how safe they are in their neighborhoods, and they’re wondering what the city is going to do to help.
A violent night in Boston left two people dead and another person injured after separate shootings Saturday night in the city.
Boston police said officers responded to ShotSpotter activation on Fermoy Heights in the city's Dorchester neighborhood around 8:45 p.m. and found a woman who had been shot. The victim was pronounced dead on scene. Police identified her Monday as 32-year-old Diva Ayuso, of Sharon.
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The shooting drew a large response from law enforcement. At least two police K-9s were seen alongside numerous officers at the crime scene that had been partitioned off with yellow police tape near Fermoy Heights Avenue and Shandon Road.
Video from the scene showed detectives going door-to-door, and walking around with flashlights. There were multiple evidence markers on the ground on a sidewalk next to a playground and basketball court.
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"I even feel afraid to pick up my kid from daycare to go to the park," said Drusela Gomes, a Fermoy Heights Avenue resident who lives steps away from the same playground and basketball court. "You can't do that anymore, it's like, 'Come on, get in, close the door.'"
Less than three hours later, in an unrelated incident, police responded to another ShotSpotter activation -- this time in the city's Roxbury neighborhood.
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Officers found two men who had been shot at 958 Tremont Street, the listed address for Slade's Bar & Grill. Both were taken to local hospitals, where one man died from his injuries. His name has not been released.
The second victim is expected to be OK, police said.
Yellow police tape was used to section off the area outside the bar, with several officers and cruisers parked out front of the building, which also houses a liquor store.
The spurt of violence this weekend follows months of calls for the city to address gun violence. Faith leaders like Kevin Peterson say something needs to be done.
"I'm saddened about what transpired last night. The death of any individual is deeply painful," Peterson said. "There remains an intense need, particularly expressed by those who live in this community, to address the issue of violence."
"Where there is a disproportionate amount of crime, there should be a disproportionate amount of resources directed into those areas, into those neighborhoods," he added.
Peterson and other community leaders worry the gun violence will only get worse as the weather gets warmer.
“A majority of the murders in the community happen from May until August/September and they happen specifically within the Black community," Peterson, the founder of New Democracy Coalition, explained. "If there isn’t any concerted effort to address this issue of violence, there will be a bloody summer in the city of Boston. We don’t want a bloody summer.”
District Attorney Kevin Hayden acknowledged that recent weeks have been tough on the community.
"The last three weeks have been heartbreaking for Boston, with gun and knife violence taking too many lives and leaving too many families and friends with eternal grief," Hayden said in a statement. "As always, we ask for the public’s help in solving these crimes and in addressing the factors that lead to them."
Anyone with information about either of these shootings is urged to call homicide detectives at 617-343-4470. Anonymous tips can be called into the CrimeStoppers tip line at 1-800-494-TIPS, or texted to CRIME (27463) with the word 'TIP.'
There's no word on any possible suspects, and police haven't said what they believed led up to the fatal shootings. Investigations are ongoing.
Boston police also encourage anyone who needs emotional support following distressing events in the community to contact the Boston Neighborhood Trauma Team, which provides free, private support 24/7 at 617-431-0125.
If you have been impacted by homicide, survivor outreach services are available. Contact the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute at 617-825-1917 Ext. 119 or visit the website LDBPeaceInstitute.org for more information.
