Police Appeal to the Community for Information Regarding the Shooting Death of 14 Year Old Jaewon Martin
Today Mayor Thomas Menino in conjunction with Suffolk County District Attorney Dan Conley and Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis are appealing to the community for increased cooperation regarding the shooting death of 14 year old Jaewon Martin.
At about 3:41pm, on Saturday, May 8, 2010, officers from Area E-13 (Jamaica Plain) responded to a call for a person shot in the area of 944 Parker Street.
On arrival, officers located two male victims both suffering from what appeared to be gunshot wounds. One victim was transported to Children’s Hospital where he was treated for non-life threatening injuries. The second victim, Jaewon Martin, suffering from life threatening injuries, was transported to Brigham and Women’s Hospital where he later succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased.
Mayor Menino stated, “One homicide is too many especially when it is an innocent 14 year old boy. I am proud of the gains we have made in public safety but it is crystal clear that we have a lot more work to do. We will have to deepen our commitment to peace because we all have a shared responsibility in making Boston’s neighborhoods a safe place for everyone.”
District Attorney Conley said in a statement, “\”Why did this happen? Why would anyone kill a 14-year-old in cold blood as he stood talking to friends, posing no threat to anyone? These are questions we can never answer. And frankly, there is no conceivable motive that would explain the choice to use deadly violence against a 14-year-old child.\”
Commissioner Ed Davis commented, “The Boston Police Department is working closely the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office to aggressively pursue the coward responsible for this reprehensible act of senseless violence. The department is strategically coordinating efforts internally and with other city agencies to address concerns related to gun violence. The brazen tragic death of Jaewon Martin is alarming and intolerable. As a community, we must stand together and shun the individuals that we know are responsible for this violence. The department is dedicated to holding these perpetrators accountable and removing them from city streets.”
Homicide investigators in coordination with Suffolk County prosecutors are conducting an active and ongoing investigation. In addition, the department is coordinating the following initiatives to address community concerns.
In response to this incident:
- Community members will continue to experience a significant increase to police presence in the area.
- The CrimeStoppers Unit, Community Service Officers and Safe Street Teams have been deployed to speak with residents, exchange information, reassure the community and distribute the Anonymous Text-A-Tip brochure.
- Officers are working closely with the Boston Regional Intelligence Center (BRIC) and specialized units to deter and suppress violence.
- Boston Police are specifically targeting impact players; particularly those we believe are involved in violent activity in that area.
- Boston Police are organizing and will execute citywide warrant sweeps targeting violent activity.
- The Boston Police School Police Unit have been instructed to increase the number of home visits to high risk youth
- The Youth Violence Strike Force continues to host “Operation Ceasefire” sessions targeting impact players with a focused message.
- BCYF is deploying additional streetworkers to effected areas until further notice.
- Mayor Menino is reaching out to clergy to encourage increased collaboration.
- The department has recently assigned two detectives to ATF solely focused on tracing firearms recovered and identifying those involved in gun trafficking.
The Boston Police Homicide Unit is actively investigating the facts and circumstances surrounding this incident. Anyone with information regarding this incident is urged to contact the Boston Police Homicide Unit at (617) 343-4470.
Individuals wishing to provide information anonymously may do so by calling the CrimeStoppers Tip Line at 1-800-494-TIPS or by texting the word ‘TIP’ to CRIME (27463). As always, we remind individuals wishing to provide information that the Boston Police Department is interested in only the information you provide, not who you are.