BRAINTREE, MASS. (WHDH) - An investigation is underway after an armed home invasion of a residence on Bickford Road in Braintree Monday night, police said.
As their investigation continues, the mother of a teen who was injured has described the incident, calling it “more than shocking.”
Braintree police said officers responding to the scene around 7:40 p.m. found two residents outside the home. One had minor injuries to his face and reported he was assaulted by three men who had entered his home.
The person told police he answered a knock on the door and was immediately assaulted. Both the victim and the other occupant described one of the men as being armed with a pistol in his waistband, according to police.
The suspects were described as three tall men in their late teens or early twenties. Police also said the suspects referred to the victim by name and spent a short time in the residence before leaving in a small black sedan.
Police said a motive for the crime is being investigated, but that it may be related to online gaming and other online activity. The incident itself is believed to be a targeted crime and isolated, according to authorities.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact police at 781-794-8620 or submit a tip to Tips@Braintreema.gov.
7NEWS spoke with the victim’s mother, who asked not to be identified.
The mother said her 17-year-old son was playing the online game Minecraft when a conversation with other unidentified players escalated.
“When you do trash talking with one another, that’s the consequences you’re dealing with nowadays,” the mother said. “That’s the sad part.”
The mother said the suspects somehow found where they lived and showed up at their house, where they assaulted her son.
The woman said her other son, age 18, was upstairs and notified authorities after hearing the attack.
“I almost passed out when I heard this,” she said.
The mother said her son was treated and released from the hospital after this incident. She added that this wasn’t the first time her son has been targeted, saying someone threw a rock at their house several months ago.
Asked if she has a message for those involved, the mother responded.
“Just leave us alone,” she said. “We didn’t do anything wrong.”
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