Family Devastated By Shooting Death Of Chelsea Teen
CHELSEA (CBS) – Police say the investigation into the shooting death of a 15-year-old Chelsea resident remains "very active" as they search for the suspects who also injured a second teenager.
Just after 5:30 p.m. on Friday, Chelsea Police responded to a shooting in the hallway of a building in the area of Shurtleff and Bellingham Streets.
A 15-year-old suffered fatal injuries, while another teen the same age was shot in the foot. According to the Chelsea School District superintendent, the boy who died is Jimmy Vasquez, a Chelsea High School student.
"Tragically, we have once again lost a young life due to senseless street violence. As you most likely have heard, there was a shooting incident last evening at 5:35 p.m. at the corner of Shurtleff and Grove Streets. Two male victims were found shot, both in their early teens," superintendent Mary Bourque said in a statement posted to the district's Facebook page. "One of the male victims, Jimmy Vasquez, died from his wounds at MGH Boston less than two hours later. The second victim suffered non-life threatening wounds. I am not at liberty to release his name. For us, the shooting hits close to home, close to the heart of our Chelsea Public Schools family."
The other victim was treated and released from an area hospital. The school's superintendent said Jimmy has multiple siblings in the school district.
At a vigil Saturday night, the victim's friends say they don't believe the two teens were the intended target of the shooting.
"I think that the young boys, the youth, were at the wrong place at the wrong time," Sylvia Ramirez, a community activist, said. "I know the family is in serious pain, they're mourning."
Police continue searching for the suspects and are asking for the public's help.
Investigators released a picture of a car that was seen after the shooting. The vehicle was seen in heavy traffic backing up and turning down Grove Street, a one way street, against traffic. They are looking for a gray 2010 Toyota Corolla in connection with the case.
Anyone with information on the shooting can call Chelsea Police at (617) 466-4880 or the Suffolk County State Police Detective Unit at (617) 727-8817.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help Jimmy's family cover the cost of his funeral.
Ramirez called on the city to do more to protect its youth. The last teen killed by gun violence, Ramirez says, died 10 months ago.
"We need to do more. We obviously are not doing enough to keep our kids out of harm's way," she said.
Chelsea city manager Tom Ambrosino announced increased patrols in the area of the shooting to "restore the perception of safety." Jimmy's death comes after what Ambrosino called a year of "relentless" effort to address violence in the community.
"Together, we have put so much emphasis and resources into trying to combat youth violence in this City and into making our residents feel safe -- additional funds for more police officers; increased walking patrols; additional street workers and social workers targeting at-risk youth; additional funds for youth jobs," Ambrosino said in a statement. "Despite all of these effort, we have another tragedy on our hands."
On Monday, Bourque said the schools will hold drop-in support services from 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m at the high school for anyone who needs help handling the shooting death. On Tuesday, when students return to school for the week, extra counselors will be on staff.
