MISSION HILL (WHDH) — Three people were arrested after police said the owner of a hardware store was shot and killed in Mission Hill Tuesday afternoon.
Authorities said officers responded at around 4 p.m. for a report of shooting at AC Hardware, located near the intersection of Tremont and St. Alphonsus streets. Boston Police Commissioner William Evans said the owner of the store, a 58-year-old man, was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Police said they caught up to a van after the shooting and the three men inside tried to get out and flee on foot. Police were able to arrest them and Evans said the three suspects will be charged with murder.
“This is happening too often. There are too many guns on our streets,” said Boston Mayor Marty Walsh. “We have to work with these kids and get these guns off our streets.”
This is the latest in a series of shootings in Boston, which has seen an increase of shootings compared to this time last year. Walsh has assigned trauma teams to assist witnesses and victims in the wake of violent crimes.
Residents said the owner of AC Hardware is well-known in the neighborhood, having had a presence in Mission Hill for decades. He was recently named “2017 Mission Hill Main Street Business of the Year.”
One woman said she would always see the man outside of his store saying hello to neighbors when she passed by.
“I’m just shocked to know that this happened to him,” she told 7News.
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