BOSTON (WHDH) - A former reverend and Boston Public Schools employee who was known by many as an anti-violence advocate has been convicted of shooting and nearly killing a teenager.
Shaun Harrison, 58, was convicted Thursday by a Suffolk Superior Court Jury on all charges, including assault with intent to murder.
Prosecutors said Harrison shot 17-year-old Luis Rodriguez in the back of the head in March 2015.
“This defendant presented himself as a man of faith dedicated to helping young people,” District Attorney Daniel Conley said. “Instead he exploited his position to earn the trust of vulnerable youth and prey on them.”
Harrison, the former dean at Boston’s English High School, recruited Rodriguez to sell marijuana for him and shot him because he believed the student was not generating enough sales and withholding money, according to prosecutors.
During the weeklong trial, Rodriguez testified that he came from a dysfunctional family and trusted Harrison, who students nicknamed “Rev.”
Surveillance cameras captured footage of the two walking together on Magazine Street when Harrison fell behind Rodriguez and raised a gun, firing one shot into the back of his head, prosecutors said. Harrison fled on foot, leaving Rodriguez on the ground.
The bullet entered Rodriguez’s head just under his right ear. It just missed his carotid artery, broke his jawbone and caused nerve damage and hearing loss. Rodriguez was taken to Boston Medical Center, where he identified Harrison as the person who shot him.
“He betrayed the victim and he betrayed the community he claimed to serve. It was only by sheer luck that the victim survived this attempted execution to identify Harrison for what he is – a violent predator and a fraud,” Conley said.
A recent search of Harrison’s home yielded weapons and drugs, police said.
Sentencing in the case is slated for Friday morning. He faces up to 20 years in state prison.
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