Man who died in Dorchester shooting had been out celebrating 30th birthday, relatives say

Dorchester shooting victim Alfredo "Freddy" Centeio.

Two men were shot in Dorchester early Thursday but made it to Boston Medical Center, where one victim was found dead in a vehicle outside the hospital, police said. The second victim went inside the hospital for treatment.

Sergeant Detective John Boyle said the deceased man was discovered inside the vehicle shortly before 1 a.m. He said the other man was treated for injuries that weren’t considered life-threatening.

“Two people self-transported to Boston Medical Center,” Boyle said.

Boyle said investigators believe the shooting scene was on Percival Street in Dorchester.

“Officers responded to a call for shots fired in the vicinity of 58 Percival St. and found damaged motor vehicles and ballistic evidence about 12:45 a.m,” Boyle said.

Then at 12:54 a.m., Boston police officers in the South End responded to BMC for a report of a walk-in gunshot victim, Boyle said.

“When they arrived at the hospital, they found a nonviable adult male suffering from gunshot wounds inside a motor vehicle. The second male with apparent gunshot wounds was treated inside the hospital,” Boyle said.

The deceased man’s family identified him Thursday as Alfredo “Freddy” Centeio, who had turned 30 on Wednesday. Centeio had been out celebrating his birthday and had just come back from dinner with friends when he was shot, relatives said.

“He is a father of two. He has two daughters,” said Centeio’s cousin, Lisa Vicente. “He’s a lovable guy, always smiling, a life of the party. He wouldn’t hurt anybody. This wasn’t gang-related or anything like that. I know a lot of people say that when people die, but he truly was not that kind of guy.”

Centeio’s friends and family said he lived his entire life in Dorchester and stressed that he was an innocent victim of gun violence.

“This is a complete shock to all of us . . . we’re just at a loss,” she said. “It’s very surreal. It still hasn’t even hit us, really.”

Donella Jordan, a resident of Marie Street near Percival, said she was awoken by the noise of gunshots early Thursday.

“It just startled me, because I’d just fallen asleep,” she said. “The next thing I know, I heard this pop-pop-pop-pop-pow. And I woke up, and I’m like, wait, that didn’t sound right.”

She looked at her clock. It was 12:45 a.m.

“It was like three or four [shots], and then I heard another, like, two or three,” she said. “I said, ‘Oh, my God.’ ”

Jordan saw a bright light in her window. Police cars were outside. She didn’t know exactly what transpired, but she knew it wasn’t good and figured someone had been shot.

Jordan said she was surprised because her street, which is perpendicular to Percival Street and faces Ronan Park, is usually very quiet.

“It’s definitely quiet, that’s the only reason I’m here,” she said.

Three cars parked in a row in front of 58 and 60 Percival Street showed clear signs of damage Thursday afternoon.

Two bullet holes were visible on the hood of a gray Honda Civic, and the blue Honda parked next to it sustained body damage and a broken side mirror. The Honda CR-V parked in front of those two vehicles also appeared to have been sideswiped and had a single bullet hole in its windshield.

The man’s death is the 25th homicide in Boston this year, compared with 32 at this time last year, police said.

In another incident, two other men believed to be in their 50s were shot in Jamaica Plain Wednesday night. Their injuries weren’t life-threatening.

Boyle said there have been no arrests in either case.

At the Jamaica Plain crime scene Wednesday night in the area of 928 Parker St., authorities initially said one victim had been found with what are believed to be non-life-threatening injuries.

A crime scene was established in the parking lot of the residential complex formerly known as Bromley Heath.

Several officers responded to the scene. In the parking lot, a Ford sedan sat with its doors open. At least two of the vehicle’s windows were broken.