Drive-by shooting in Inman Square leaves one teen dead
Drive-by shooting in Inman Square leaves one teen dead
Charlene “Chay” Holmes, 16, was shot and killed in a drive-by shooting outside 34-36 Willow St. near Inman Square on Sunday night, roughly one mile from MIT. Her companion, Thanillee Cotto-Felix, 17, was also shot and remains in critical condition.
The two girls were walking down Willow Street when they stopped by a house to speak to someone on the porch. Cambridge police were called around 8:15 p.m., and the two were brought to the hospital, where Holmes passed away.
There have been no arrests.
In a statement to The Boston Globe, spokeswoman for Middlesex District Attorney Gerard T. Leone Jr.’s office, Jessica Venezia Pastore said that police could not answer questions about a potential motive or about the search for the killer.
“We are encouraged by the leads we have, and we have every confidence we will solve this crime,” she said.
Authorities are currently investigating who was the original target of the gunfire.
Holmes’ funeral was held yesterday at the St. Mary of Annunciation church in Cambridge. Over 400 people attended, many of whom were Holmes’ neighbors and classmates at Cambridge Rindge and Latin High School.
Cotto-Felix, who was a senior at Rindge, attended her own graduation via a video feed on June 7.
The Wellington-Harrington Square neighborhood has had trouble with crime in the past. The police have responded to incidents in the area over 10 times within the past two years. Police presence has increased in the area since the shooting.
Community members are calling for action. Council members at Monday’s City Council meeting voted unanimously to include young people in the meeting with the police about the incident, if the meeting were to take place.
Police plan to hold to the meeting soon, now that the funeral has passed. Dan Rivello, a representative from the Cambridge Police Department, told the Globe that they wanted to give the family time to grieve.
—Jessica J. Pourian