2 Men Convicted In Shooting Death Of Dawnn Jaffier At Dorchester Festival

BOSTON (CBS/AP) – Jurors have found two men guilty of first-degree murder in the shooting death of an innocent bystander at a Boston street festival in 2014.

Keith Williams and Wesson Colas stood trial in the death of 24-year-old Dawnn Jaffier, a city youth worker who was marching in a parade to celebrate the Caribbean festival a block away from where gunshots rang out.

Jurors reached the verdict Thursday during the fourth day of deliberations in the trial.

During the trial, prosecutors said Williams fired but Colas did not.

Williams' attorney claimed the gun was never linked to his client. Colas was on his way to work, and was not carrying a gun, his attorney argued.

According to the prosecution, Williams and Colas were rivals who confronted each other with guns in Dorchester during the Caribbean festival. Under state law, both men faced murder charges and were tried together.

Jaffier was a Boston Public Schools graduate who returned to the district to work as an after-school tutor and a coach at Playworks, a community organization, according to Boston Public Schools. Jaffier also worked as a lunch monitor at the Hennigan School.

Boston Police Commissioner William Evans reacted following the verdict.

"I'm grateful to see justice served in the senseless, tragic shooting death of Dawnn Jaffier," Evans said. "While there is nothing to say to lessen the pain felt by those who loved her, I hope today's convictions provide for them some small measure of comfort & closure."

Williams' attorney says the case will automatically be appealed to the State Supreme Judicial Court where he is hoping for a different outcome.

The defendants will be sentenced on Jan. 8.

(© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)