A shoot-out raged in this Dorchester neighborhood Sunday night, and when it ceased a young man staggered to the front door of 93 Brook Ave., where he pushed on the intercom and collapsed, witnesses said.
The victim, shot in the chest, was gasping for air as an unidentified woman opened the door. The wounded man uttered, "I can't breathe,'' witnesses said. The woman told him to stay awake and just try to keep breathing.
Two other male victims suffering from less serious gunshot wounds were found several blocks away, near 35 Julian St. Police believe all three were shot at 8:24 p.m. during the same incident near the intersection of Julian and Judson streets. No arrests have been made in the triple shooting, authorities said.
Advertisement
"I hear gunfire all the time around here, but that was just a large amount of shots, more than I've heard all at once in my life,'' said Jose Martinez, who has lived at the corner of Brook Avenue and Victor Street for 20 years. He said he heard up to 20 gunshots.
"It's wild out here," Martinez said. "Just a year ago, someone was killed right there,'' he said, as he pointed to a nearby lightpost ringed by several candles, placed there less than three weeks ago by mourners to mark the one-year anniversary of that homicide.
The man who was shot in the chest was taken to Boston Medical Center. He is listed in critical condition but is expected to survive, police said. The two other victims, a 17-year-old shot in the hip and a 48-year-old shot in the leg, were taken to Brigham and Women's Hospital and are in stable condition, according to authorities.
The neighborhood is centered by a playground dedicated to Trina Persad, a 10-year-old who was shot and killed in 2002 while she was leaving a nearby park.
Advertisement
The neighborhood is also home to state Representative Carlos Henriquez. Late Monday morning, about a dozen children played soccer in an empty lot, taking advantage of the holiday and the warmer temperatures. A large vegetable garden dots Brook Avenue.
On Sunday night, police trained floodlights on Judson Street and into the playground, where more than a dozen officers searched the ground.
Officers returned to the scene Monday morning to continue their search.
Henriquez, who lives on Judson Street, said Sunday the shooting happened outside his living room as he was sitting down to watch Sunday night football. "I heard the shots," Henriquez said. "It had to be close to 10 shots in succession."
"If he lives right here, then what else can be done," said Melody Picou, 33, who has lived on Julian Street for a year, referring to Henriquez's residency in the neighborhood.
"We just moved back to Boston from Tampa after 10 years, and nothing has changed. Its gotten worse,'' she said.
"My daughter had a panic attack. We were in the living room watching a movie and we heard 15 shots go off. My husband dropped to the floor, and I'm looking at him and I was in shock that they were gunshots," Picou said as she teared up. "I told my daughter to get down in the corner. I can't even let my children play outside anymore."
Marvin Carr, 54, said he rushed Sunday night from his nearby home to Julian Street, where his grandson lives.
Advertisement
"My immediate concern was him; he's 15. I wanted to make sure he was OK and he is, but when I got here they were pretty shaken up."
"We're talking about young kids with guns, no value for life," Carr said, standing on his porch.
Brian Ballou can be reached at bballou@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter at @globeballou.