BOSTON (WHDH) - A Boston man shot and killed his neighbor on Tuesday night during a dispute over the use of a barbecue grill, prosecutors said.
Shakeem McNeil, 28, of Dorchester, was arraigned on a murder charge Wednesday in Dorchester District Court in connection with the shooting death of 43-year-old Carl Brown. A not guilty plea was entered on his behalf.
Officers responding to a report of a shooting at an apartment at 93 Millet St. around 8:45 p.m. found Brown dead at the scene, according to court documents. Police later learned that McNeil and his girlfriend, Kyanna Davis, had fled the area.
Witnesses told police that Davis allegedly punched Brown after being told not to use the barbecue grill on the front lawn. McNeil then shot Brown four times, according to prosecutors.
“The defendant made statements along the lines of ‘Is this how you want to play?’ And then in front of his wife, Carl Brown was shot by the defendant four times,” prosecutor Julie Higgens told the court.
McNeil, who police say has a criminal history that involves weapons and domestic violence-related offenses, was tracked to the Super 8 Hotel on Westgate Drive in Brockton after a T-Mobile ping of Davis’ cellphone.
A check of the hotel revealed Davis’ sister had rented two rooms shortly before midnight, the documents indicate. Officers then made entry into one of the rooms and arrested McNeil.
Brockton police transported McNeil to Boston Police Headquarters, where he was booked on a charge of murder.
Davis handed over her car keys and police seized her vehicle as evidence. She was not taken into custody.
Brown leaves behind two young boys, according to his father-in-law.
“I didn’t know he was gone until I got down to the hospital,” Ernest Bridges said of Brown. “He didn’t stand a chance.”
The shooting remains under investigation.
McNeil is due back in court in June.
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