"South Boston killing was drug-related, officials say; Shot 11 times, teen victim ‘butchered’" by Maria Cramer | Globe Staff, January 09, 2013
The fatal shooting of a man outside a high-end condo complex in South Boston appears to be drug-
related, officials say.
Jonathan Reyes, 18, was shot 11 times, several times in the head, early Monday morning on West Second Street, said two law enforcement officials with knowledge of the homicide investigation.
“He was butchered,” one of the officials said.
One witness said the victim appeared to still be alive when emergency responders first reached him.
Boston police, who released the victim’s name Tuesday, did not state a possible motive. But the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the case, said investigators believe the killing is connected to drugs. A white powder was found at the scene of the slaying, and authorities are testing to determine whether it was heroin or cocaine, one of the officials said.
You wanna stop gun violence? Legalize drugs.
Of course, our leaders can't go there for very obviou$ rea$ons -- with the ancillary benefit of increased tyranny to fight the "war."
According to that official, investigators believe someone pulled up in a car and opened fire on Reyes.
A drive-by in downtown Boston?
The shooting shocked residents.... It is an area teeming with young office workers and families.
On Tuesday, mothers strolled with their children, and men walked their dogs past the crime scene near E Street, where the day before police had been scouring for evidence and firefighters washed away the victim’s blood...
The shooting occurred outside a three-story, slate-gray complex where a two-bedroom condo can sell for more than $450,000. Many residents were jolted out of bed just before 3 a.m. Monday....
Drug-related crimes have caused anxiety in South Boston recently. Police launched a crackdown on drug activity in the neighborhood, where residents were outraged after the April 2012 killing of Barbara Coyne, a 67-year-old grandmother who was stabbed in her East Seventh Street home.
Prosecutors have said that Timothy Kostka, 26, a reputed drug addict who lived in the neighborhood, slashed Coyne’s throat after breaking into her apartment, where he hoped to steal her son’s valuable fishing gear, then sell it to pay for drugs. He has pleaded not guilty....
Related:
Police seek help in South Boston fatal stabbing
Man held in South Boston slaying
Stabbing suspect wanted fishing gear, police say
Meeting set to address concerns after S. Boston killing
Police vow crackdown on drugs in South Boston
In South Boston, drug crackdown nets 13 arrests
Police crackdown leads to cut in crime in South Boston
How are those two connected again?
Bill Linehan, who represents South Boston on the City Council, said unlike Monday’s shooting, other drug-related assaults and killings in South Boston were apparently committed by addicts fueled by drugs or desperate for a fix.
“This incident seems different,” Linehan said. “It seems different because it seems to me like an execution.”
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