Police continue to search for suspects in the fatal shooting of a customer at a barbershop in Boston’s Dorchester neighborhood.
A customer is dead after being shot while getting his hair cut at a barbershop in Boston's Dorchester neighborhood Tuesday morning.
The shooting happened inside the barbershop at 114 Stoughton St., authorities confirmed.
Shots rang out and struck a man while he was sitting in a chair getting a haircut.
Police confirmed around 3 p.m. that the victim had died.
No further information was immediately available from police, including a description of the suspect, but witnesses described the gunman as a young man in his late teens or early 20s.
The victim was later identified by family as 21-year-old Alberto "AJ" Monteiro, of Dorchester. Family said Monteiro was a student at Regis College who worked two jobs to pay for his education.
"They just told me, 'someone just got shot, try calling emergency,'" Djonny Fernandes, who has owned Creole International Style barbershop for nine years, said.
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He translated for barber Anildo Mendes, who was cutting a young boy's hair just two chairs away from the victim when the shooter walked into the shop.
"He was surprised because this person walk in looking like any other customer, he was expecting maybe he was going to sit down, waiting for a haircut, so at the end he just shot this dude right at the chair," Fernandes said for Mendes.
Mendes added that as he ushered the boy to safety with his mother, the gunman ran away. He also described the victim as a young man in his late teens or early 20s.
Fernandes relayed that Mendes said, "This is a regular customer who normally comes in all time of the year, including his father come over probably Saturday."
Meanwhile, the barbershop's customers and neighbors said they're shaken by the brazen shooting.
"That's insane to me, that barbershop's never had any kind of drama like that, anything, it's always a community barbershop," customer Kevin Hiralall said.
Gennessey Mojica, who lives in the neighborhood, said, "Someone who probably was innocent, just to get a haircut has to die or something happened and that's not right."
Monteiro's family released a statement saying, "AJ will always be remembered for his infectious personality and maturity. As the oldest of three, he set the example of what a hard-working and dedicated big brother should be. We hope the person or persons responsible for his death are brought to justice swiftly."
