Police: Shooting at Quick Stop wasn’t ‘random act of violence

Police: Shooting at Quick Stop wasn’t ‘random act of violence
By Laurel J. Sweet  |   Monday, October 25, 2010  |  http://www.bostonherald.com  |  Local Coverage

A Boston Police officer stands watch as BPD processes the scene of a shooting at the Quick Stop convenience store on Warren Street in Roxbury.
Photo by Angela Rowlings

The murderous madman who stormed a Roxbury superette Saturday was armed with an AK-47 and said nothing before unleashing a hail of bullets, killing a woman and injuring the owner as he ran for his life, a source told the Herald.

“There was blood and bullets everywhere,” the source said yesterday.

Multiple law enforcement sources said the weapon used in the mid-afternoon carnage inside the Quick Stop convenience store at 338A Warren St. was an AK-47 assault rifle — a brazen act just feet from the headquarters of the Boston Police Department’s SWAT team.

“There’s no indication this was a random act of violence,” Commissioner Edward Davis told the Herald.

The store’s owner, who police have not publicly identified, is recovering from what investigators deemed non-life-threatening wounds.

Davis said yesterday it remained unclear if the woman, who sources said suffered catastrophic injuries, was simply a customer caught in harm’s way. Police have not released her name or age.

“We’re really not certain what the connection is,” Davis said. “We have some leads we’re working on, but any help we can get from the community would be greatly appreciated.”

Officers were out in force yesterday in a gentle rain leafleting the neighborhood with Crime Stoppers brochures to remind the public they can assist police anonymously.

Tips can also be phoned into homicide detectives at 617-343-4470.

“It’s troubling to have this happen so close to a police station,” Davis said. “We’re obviously dedicated to resolving it and holding people accountable for it.”

Quick Stop was closed yesterday — its front entrance covered with a heavy tarp — as investigators continued to pore over the crime scene inside the store and in a fenced-off back yard.

The mini mart shares a wall and the ground floor of an apartment building with Warren Street Baptist Church.

Khurshed Iqbal, manager of Crown Fried Chicken and Pizza on Warren Street, said he called 911 after Quick Stop’s owner stumbled into his restaurant clutching his side about 3 p.m. Saturday and trying to hold the door shut “as if someone was following him.”

“We didn’t hear any (shots), but when I looked at him I saw the blood. He said one word: Help. Then he fell down. He was in very bad condition,’’ Iqbal said.

Iqbal said there were about five customers picking up their orders at the time, “but when they saw the situation, everyone ran. They just left their food behind,” he said.

He said a man ran into the restaurant and was even dragging him unconscious to a car when police arrived.

“He was shaking him and yelling, ‘Open your eyes!’ Iqbal said. “He’s a very nice guy. It was a terrible situation.”

The woman’s murder was the city’s 56th homicide this year, compared to 41 at this time last year. Seven people were shot Saturday alone, police said.

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1291265