Teenager fatally shot Sunday morning in Mattapan

A teenager was shot and killed in Mattapan late Sunday morning in what officials described as a targeted attack.

Neighbors said they heard at least three gunshots around 11:30 a.m. and saw the victim, who was not identified, lying on the ground by a driveway near the intersection of Babson and Fremont streets.

Officers responded to the scene after receiving a Shotspotter activation alert and a report of a person shot. They found the victim in front of 119 Babson St., Boston Police Superintendent Felipe Colon told reporters at the scene, according to audio of the news briefing provided by Mayor Michelle Wu’s office.

Colon said the victim, who he described as a “young male,” had suffered multiple gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene.

“Today, on a morning when so many families are at church or just enjoying a quiet Sunday morning, it’s incredibly painful to have this take place,” Wu said at the news briefing.

Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox called the shooting “another senseless act of violence” and asked anyone with information to call the police department.

District Attorney Kevin Hayden expressed condolences for the family and echoed Cox’s call for anyone with information to come forward.

“We’re doing everything we can to investigate the scene at this time and if there’s anyone in the community that knows anything about what’s transpired here and has any information, we definitely need your help and support,” Hayden said.

Hayden’s office said the victim was a teenager, but his age was not immediately available.

Colon said investigators believe the shooting was not a random attack.

“At this time we believe this individual was targeted,” he said.

Residents in the area said they were shaken by the shooting and are praying for the teen’s family.

A woman who lives in the home just a few yards from where the victim was found said she was lying in bed when she heard several loud gunshots outside. She said she heard the sirens of emergency vehicles a short time later and looked outside to see paramedics working on the victim near her driveway.

The woman, whose name is Cathrine but asked for her last name not to be published, said the victim appeared to be wearing a hooded sweatshirt, black sweatpants, and sneakers.

“He looked very young,” she said.

Cathrine said she could hear hip-hop music playing loudly as he was attended to by first responders, possibly coming from his phone or a small speaker.

“It’s tragic,” Cathrine said. “I don’t know what happened or why it happened. ... It’s sad to see. I’m just glad there weren’t more kids around.”

The violence broke out a short distance from the scene of another fatal shooting earlier this month on Blue Hill Avenue, where Jymaal Cox, a father of two children, was shot and killed in the early morning of New Year’s day.

Cox was a relative of the Rev. Kevin Peterson, founder of the New Democracy Coalition and an outspoken advocate for curbing violence affecting the city’s Black community. In a statement Sunday, Peterson said he was “profoundly saddened to stand at yet another crime scene.”

“This murder took place in what neighbors recognize as a triangle of murder that spans across Mattapan and Dorchester,” Peterson said. “We must stop the violence by creating deeper community and police partnerships.

During the news briefing at the scene Sunday afternoon, Wu thanked first responders and said investigators have been working “very quickly to ensure that this investigation starts right away so we can get to justice for this young person and their family.”

Officials urged anyone with information to call Boston police homicide detectives at 617-343-4470 or submit an anonymous tip to the CrimeStoppers tip line at 1-800-494-TIPS or by texting the word “TIP” to CRIME (27463).

Globe correspondent Isabela Rocha contributed to this report.