The Boston Globe - 02.08.2019

FRIDAY, AUGUST 2, 2019 The Boston Globe Metro B

Today is Friday, Aug. 2, the

214th day of 2019. There are

151 days left in the year.

Birthdays: Actor Nehemiah

Persoff is 100. The Band key-

boardist Garth Hudson is 82.

Singer Kathy Lennon is 76. Ac-

tor Butch Patrick (Eddie on

‘‘The Munsters”) is 66. Senator

Jacky Rosen, Nevada Demo-

crat, is 62. Actress Victoria

Jackson is 60. Actress Mary-

Louise Parker is 55.

ºIn 1776, members of the

Second Continental Congress

began attaching their signa-

tures to the Declaration of Inde-

pendence.

ºIn 1876, frontiersman

‘‘Wild Bill’’ Hickok was shot and

killed while playing poker at a

saloon in Deadwood, Dakota

Territory, by Jack McCall, who

was later hanged.

ºIn 1921, a jury in Chicago

acquitted several former mem-

bers of the Chicago White Sox

baseball team and two others of

conspiring to defraud the pub-

lic in the ‘‘Black Sox’’ scandal.

ºIn 1923, the 29th presi-

dent, Warren Harding, died in

San Francisco; Vice President

Calvin Coolidge became presi-

dent.

ºIn 1974, former White

House counsel John W. Dean

III was sentenced to one to four

years in prison for obstruction

of justice in the Watergate cov-

er-up. (He served four months.)

ºIn 1990, Iraq invaded Ku-

wait, seizing control of the oil-

rich emirate. (The Iraqis were

later driven out.)

ºLast year, Apple became the

firstpublicly-tradedcompanyto

be valued at $1 trillion.

This day in history

By Emily Sweeney
and Travis Andersen
GLOBE STAFF
Two men shot in Dorchester
early Thursday morning made
it to Boston Medical Center,
but one of them was found
dead in a vehicle outside the
building, while the other was
treated inside for non-life-
threatening injuries, according
to police.
Sergeant Detective John
Boyle said the deceased man
was discovered inside the vehi-
cle shortly before 1 a.m., after
“two people self-transported to
Boston Medical Center.”
Boyle said investigators be-
lieve the men were shot on Per-
cival Street in Dorchester.
“Officers responded to a call
for shots fired in the vicinity of
58 Percival St. and found dam-
aged motor vehicles and ballis-
tic evidence about 12:45 a.m,”
Boyle said. Less than 10 min-
utes later, officers were called
to Boston Medical Center for a
report of a walk-in gunshot vic-
tim, Boyle said.
The deceased man’s family
identified him Thursday as Al-
fredo “Freddy” Centeio, who
had turned 30 on Wednesday.
Centeio had been out celebrat-
ing his birthday and had just
come back from dinner with
friends when he was shot, rela-
tives said.
“He has two daughters,”
said Centeio’s cousin, Lisa Vi-
cente. “He’s a lovable guy, al-

ways smiling, a life of the party.

He wouldn’t hurt anybody.

This wasn’t gang-related or

anything like that.”

Centeio’s friends and family

said he had lived his entire life

in Dorchester and was an inno-

centvictimofgunviolence.

“This is a complete shock to

all of us... we’re just at a loss,”

she said. “It’s very surreal.’’

Donella Jordan, a resident

of Marie Street near Percival,

said she was awoken by the

sound of gunshots Thursday.

“It just startled me, because

I’d just fallen asleep,” she said.

“The next thing I know, I heard

this pop-pop-pop-pop-pow.

And I woke up, and I’m like,

wait, that didn’t sound right.”

She looked at her clock. It

was 12:45 a.m., she said.

“It was like three or four

[shots], and then I heard an-

other, like, two or three,” she

said. “I said, ‘Oh, my God.’ ”

Jordan said she was sur-

prised because her street,

which is perpendicular to Per-

cival Street and faces Ronan

Park, is usually peaceful. “It’s

definitely quiet, that’s the only

reason I’m here,” she said.

Three cars parked in a row

in front of 58 and 60 Percival

St. Thursday afternoon showed

clear signs of damage.

Danny McDonald and Mike

Bello of the Globe staff and

Globe correspondent Sarah Wu

contributed to this report.

Dorchester shooting

victim is identified

NIC ANTAYA FOR THE BOSTON GLOBE

Alfredo “Freddy” Centeio died after the shooting. Several
cars parked on Percival Street sustained bullet damage.

son shortly before 8 a.m. to in-

vestigate the assault call.

One witness reported seeing

the assault just before 7:

a.m., telling police that a sus-

pect struck the 28-year-old Suf-

folk officer in the face with an

object described as some type

of metal pipe, Boyle said.

Boyle said the wounded offi-

cer had already been taken to

Boston Medical Center, and the

suspects had already fled, by

the time police arrived.

The victim told police at

BMC that one assailant had

“yelled out to him” as he drove

down Atkinson Street, so he

rolled down his window, Boyle

said. According to authorities, a

man approached him and

struck him in the face “with an

open fist.”

The victim got out of the car

and a fight ensued, according

to police. During the brawl,

one suspect took the officer’s

watch, glasses, and phone and

tried unsuccessfully to take his

wallet, authorities said. Ac-

cording to police, the victim

was struck with a metal pipe

multipletimesduringthecon-

flict.

All told, about five people

had joined in the attack, Boyle

said, with one suspect in custo-

dy Thursday afternoon.

Torre Jenkins, 45, of Bos-

uATTACK

Continued from Page B

ton, is expected to be arraigned

Friday on charges of breaking

and entering of a motor vehicle

and attempted larceny of a mo-

tor vehicle, authorities said.

Suffolk District Attorney

Rachael Rollins said in a state-

ment she has spoken with the

sheriff and Boston police com-

missioner “to express my com-

mitment to holding the indi-

viduals who engaged in the at-

tack accountable for their

actions.” The investigation, ac-

cording to Rollins, “remains

highly active.”

Jenkins had four active war-

rants related to multiple drug-

related charges and an assault

charge, among others, accord-

ing to authorities.

Tompkin’s office said inves-

tigators haven’t confirmed why

the group attacked the officer,

but “the motive is suspected to

be attempted robbery. The offi-

cer is alert and currently being

seen by medical professionals.”

In a Thursday statement,

Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh

said, “The safety and well-be-

ing of the people in this city is

my highest priority. I am confi-

dent that Boston Police will

conduct a comprehensive in-

vestigation to get to the bottom

of this incident. I wish the per-

son involved a quick recovery.”

Thursday’s attack occurred

not far from the intersection of

Melnea Cass Boulevard and

Massachusetts Avenue, an area

that is known as “Methadone

Mile” because of its association

with recovery services.

Walsh’s office on Thursday

acknowledged the neighbor-

hood is a “highly transited ar-

ea” because of the concentra-

tion of recovery and shelter ser-

vices.

The office said Walsh has

“significantly increased public

safety presence in the area, in-

creasing directed patrols, ex-

tending patrol hours, and

trainingofficersinde-escala-

tion techniques for individuals

struggling with mental health

or substance-use disorder.”

Boston police, according to

the mayor’s office, will “be fur-

ther increasing directed patrols

in the area.”

Walsh recently appointed a

special adviser who is focusing

on managing the services pro-

vided in the neighborhood. A

police deputy superintendent

has also been assigned to a re-

cently created role “to coordi-

nate response in that area,” ac-

cording to Walsh’s office.

Jonathan Corey, president

of Correctional Officers Local

419, the wounded officer’s

union, released a statement on

the attack. “one of our mem-

bers was viciously attacked by

multiple individuals on his way

into work.” The officer was re-

leased from BMC later Thurs-

day, according to Corey.

“Unfortunately this is not

the first incident involving one

of our members outside of our

facility. Our local is outraged

that the mecca of crime within

the city of Boston has been

brought to our front door with

disregard for anyone’s safety,”

Corey said.

He said the area has become

a “haven for crime, clearly

without recourse, and is based

off neglect from this city. If a

trained deputy sheriff cannot

walk to work safely, I am par-

ticularly concerned for the resi-

dents and civilians of the area.’’

Later Thursday, Tompkin’s

office confirmed that a second

group of Suffolk officers had

been involved in a skirmish

with another suspect in a sepa-

rate incident.

“An emotionally disturbed

individual approached three

officers and attempted to strike

one of the officers,” Tompkin’s

office said in a follow-up state-

ment.

“Officers subdued the indi-

vidual and held him for the

Boston Police Department and

Boston EMS, who took him to

the hospital to be evaluated.”

Travis Andersen can be

reached at

[email protected].

Follow him on Twitter

@TAGlobe.

Suffolk jail officer attacked on way to work

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