An armed man went on a rampage during an outdoor birthday party near Boston that killed a man and four others were injured.
Rolando Verdejo, 43, was enjoying a meeting Wednesday night in the Dorchester neighborhood in the city when he and four other celebrities were shot, said the victim’s family and City Council Member Andrea Campbell.
“I was devastated by this,” Campbell said in a telephone interview with The Boston Globe. “To make this happen is really hard to hear.”
Four other men suffered non-life-threatening gunshot wounds, officials said.
The shooting took place at the Franklin Field housing development, which is owned by the Boston Housing Authority.
Campbell notes that the coronavirus pandemic has caused economic and social isolation for the city’s public housing population.
“These are just people who want to celebrate, in a safe way, someone’s birthday, trying to find pleasure,” he said. “We must work on this fundamental problem.”
Kate Bennett, administrator of the Boston Housing Authority, called the attack without reason and offered “sincere condolences to those affected by this tragedy.”
The Verdejo family is now trying to arrange a funeral and cremation for him, so that his ashes can be brought to the city in Puerto Rico, the place of origin of the victim and his family.
Wednesday’s fatal shooting came just one week after four people were killed in the city in a span of six days.
The Suffolk District Prosecutors’ Office and Boston police are planning to investigate the shooting.
“We will work around the clock to ensure we proactively look for individuals, a small percentage of people who cause damage in our community,” Suffolk District Attorney Rachael Rollins told reporters.
