Captain John Danilecki said at the scene that the victim was struck in his left arm and neck and was undergoing surgery Tuesday night at Boston Medical Center.

The attack occurred on Dorchester Avenue near the intersection with Mather Street just before 5:45 p.m., when a lone gunman fired roughly 15 rounds from a high-capacity handgun and fled on foot, according to Boston police officials.

A 41-year-old man suffered life-threatening injuries Tuesday evening when he was shot as he was working on his car in Dorchester, police said.

“The doctors say they’re hoping he’s going to survive,” Danilecki said.

He said the shooter “came out of nowhere” and opened fire while the other man was working on his vehicle. It was not immediately clear whether he was the shooter’s intended target.


Danilecki said police recovered ballistics evidence at the scene and were questioning witnesses Tuesday night.

He said investigators do not believe the violence is related to a shooting on Monday night that occurred less than a mile away on Welles Avenue.

The victim in that incident, a 22-year-old man, is expected to survive.

The scene of Tuesday’s shooting was located a few blocks down from the Dr. William W. Henderson Inclusion School on Dorchester Avenue.

Ingrid Burton, a school employee, said no students were in the building at the time of the shooting.

She said she heard several shots ring out and then observed a heavy police presence in the area.

“This is crazy, because we could have been walking out to go home,” Burton said at the scene. “It’s scary. It’s scary.”

Detectives remained at the scene shortly after 7 pm, shining flashlights on the street and under parked cars on Dorchester Avenue.

They also shined lights on the front facade of a house on the street, and roughly a dozen evidence markers were visible near the intersection with Mather.


Among the neighborhood residents gathered near the crime scene was Rev. Mark V. Scott, associate pastor of Azusa Christian Community in Dorchester.

Anthony Throne, 48, identified himself as the brother of the victim and asked Scott to pray for his sibling.

He told Scott he was inside the family home during the shooting and then saw his brother bleeding heavily on the pavement.

Throne and Scott then huddled together for a brief prayer.

Throne later told a reporter that his brother, who he identified as Shean, is a married father of four and also has a baby grandchild.

“He’s a good dude,” Throne said. “He’s trying to turn his life around. He’s a family man.”

Throne lamented that some young people fail to grasp “the devastation” wrought by gun violence.

“Innocent people are getting shot for no reason at all,” Throne said, adding that his brother is not “out there on the block. He ain’t out there trying to sell drugs. He ain’t out there threatening people’s lives. He don’t deserve that.”

Asked if his brother had expressed any recent concerns for his safety, Throne said, “he’s concerned about his kids. You know how things are -- gangs, bullying, social media.”

Throne also called for young people to come together to put an end to gun violence.

“Brothers have to sit down and stop being petty, arguing over petty things,” he said. “Everyone wants to see their kids grow up.”


His words were echoed by Scott, who said communities must continue outreach efforts including peace walks and youth dialogues.

At the same time, Scott said, “the people who have the real power to make this slow down are the people who pull the trigger. ... We could live better.”