No Bail For Young Man Charged In Dawnn Jaffier Murder
BOSTON (CBS/AP) — An 18-year-old was ordered held without bail Monday afternoon in the murder of a young woman in Dorchester over the weekend.
Keith Williams pleaded not guilty in Dorchester Municipal Court to charges of murder, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and unlawful possession of a firearm in the death of 26-year-old Dawnn Jaffier.
The prosecutor said Williams fired several shots from a .357 revolver toward Charlotte Street Saturday morning, where Jaffier was marching in a parade associated with the city's annual Caribbean festival.
Jaffier was wounded and rushed to Boston Medical Center where she later died.
Williams was captured shortly after the shooting and charged with unlawful possession of a firearm.
The charges were upgraded to murder Monday. Williams is scheduled to be back in court Oct. 14.
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Police said they do not think Jaffier was the intended target.
Police Commissioner Bill Evans observed that the shooting took place despite a heavy presence of police for the parade.
"It just shows you how brazen these young kids can be," he said.
Suffolk District Attorney Dan Conley called Jaffier "exactly the kind of person we need more of."
She was a Brighton resident who worked at a city elementary school and at a Boys & Girls Club.
Friends and co-workers described her as dedicated to the city's children and teenagers.
Boston Mayor Marty Walsh and Evans met with Jaffier's father Monday. Walsh said Ian Jaffier told him he never wanted his daughter's memory to be forgotten and asked what he could do to help the city.
"We're not going to let her memory be forgotten," Walsh said. "We're going to continue to work every day tirelessly to make sure that we make our streets safer."
In a news conference at police headquarters Monday after the arraignment, Evans and Conley asked for the public's help as the investigation continues.
"We need the public to come forward so we can find out exactly what happened that day," Evans said.
The commissioner said investigators are looking at a gang connection to the shooting.
Conley commented that it is incorrect to say Jaffier was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
"She had every right to be on Blue Hill Avenue on a beautiful Saturday morning," the DA said. He asked the "young men carrying guns" in the city to "find it in yourselves to end these feuds that lead to shootings."
Walsh echoed Conley's remarks adding, "The senseless violence in the city of Boston has to stop."
The mayor noted that just a few weeks ago, Jaffier had taken a selfie with him at a City Year event.
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