Leroy Carvalho

Leroy Carvalho was a man known for his ready smile and devotion to his young son, Christopher Luis. A hardworking employee at the Fairmont Copley Plaza Boston Hotel, he often worked as many as 80 hours a week and was seeking a second job to provide for his child. Friends and family remembered him as a man who lived for his son, taking him everywhere. State Representative Carlos Henriquez, a close friend, recalled, “Leroy was a guy who brought happiness to people, always in a good mood, always joking.” The 31-year-old African-American man was the beloved son of Domingus and Louis Carvalho Sr. and a brother to Joao and Christina Carvalho. His life, however, had been marked by immense tragedy, as two of his brothers, Luis and Christopher, had also been killed by gun violence in Boston in 2000 and 2003, respectively. Leroy had even moved to Cape Verde for a time after his brother Chris was killed, intent on avoiding a similar fate.

On the evening of October 2, 2013, what should have been a celebration turned into a scene of horror. It was Leroy's 31st birthday, an occasion he had been looking forward to for a month. He was standing with about eight friends outside his girlfriend's parents' home at 26 Albion Street in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston, drinking champagne to mark the day. Shortly after 10:15 p.m., without any warning or words exchanged, multiple gunshots rang out from a distance, fired into the crowd. A friend, Eddie Teixeira, recalled seeing a group of people across the street before the shooting began. As people ducked for cover, Leroy was struck. Teixeira rushed to his side and saw blood gushing from his head. "He was unconscious," Teixeira said. "I knew there was nothing we could do; it was too late." Leroy Carvalho was pronounced dead at the scene.

Boston Police Department officers responded to the shooting on Albion Street, which was logged as the city's 37th homicide of the year. The investigation revealed the immense danger the indiscriminate gunfire posed to the community. Police determined that one of the bullets traveled more than three blocks, striking a home on West Cottage Street, though thankfully no one there was injured. Witnesses reported seeing several individuals and vehicles fleeing the area immediately after the shooting. Descriptions included a black Chrysler Sebring with two occupants, a white Ford SUV with tinted windows and two occupants, and a Black man, estimated to be about 20 years old, wearing a dark hoodie and gray pants.

The investigation into Leroy's murder is ongoing, and no arrests have been made. Detectives with the Boston Police Department Homicide Unit believe the suspects may have discussed the shooting with others, both in the planning stages and after it occurred, particularly within the Cape Verdean community. They have urged anyone with even the slightest piece of information to come forward, emphasizing that it could help bring closure to a family that has suffered tremendous and repeated loss.

The murder sent shockwaves through a family already intimately familiar with the pain of gun violence. Leroy's aunt, Isaura Mendes, a longtime local peace activist, had previously lost two of her own sons, Bobby and Alex, to violence in 1995 and 2006. "It's very painful," Mendes said. "I don’t know why they are getting killed. I don’t know why people are doing it." In the face of this new tragedy, she issued an emotional plea for peace, urging young people not to seek revenge. "Violence is not the answer. Violence breeds violence and destroys life," she said. Leroy's stepbrother, Joao Carvalho, lamented the loss of the last of the three brothers. "There’s nothing you can do," he said. "You got to pray and hope they get the person who did it."

In the days following the shooting, the community gathered to mourn and call for an end to the violence. A vigil was held outside the Boston Police District B-2 Headquarters in Roxbury, where about 40 people, including friends and family, prayed and shared memories. "It’s unfortunate that there’s somebody in our community with so much hate in his heart that he would take away a mother’s child," said event organizer Joao Depina. A visitation for Leroy was held on October 10, 2013, at St. Patrick's Church in Roxbury, followed by a funeral mass the next day. He was laid to rest at New Calvary Cemetery.

As of October 2014, Leroy Carvalho's murder remains unsolved. The Boston Police Department continues to seek information from the public. They have asked anyone with knowledge of the crime to contact Sgt. Detective Michael Stratton at 617-343-9018 or Detective Vance Mills at 617-343-9014. Anonymous tips can also be called in to the CrimeStoppers Tip Line at 1-800-494-TIPS or sent by texting the word 'TIP' to CRIME (27463). The family and community await justice for the hardworking father whose life was cut short on his birthday.