A young African-American man, 19-year-old Wilson Jr. Alexander, was looking forward to a bright future before his life was cut short by gunfire on a summer night in Boston. On July 31, 2011, Alexander was shot and killed outside 40 Ames Street in the Franklin Fields Housing Development. When police responded to reports of a person shot, they found Alexander lying in the street. Three other young men were also hit in the shooting but survived their injuries. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner later determined that Alexander's death was a homicide.
The investigation into Wilson Jr. Alexander's murder remains open and unsolved, with no arrests made and no suspects publicly identified. His mother, Paris Alston, has spoken of her enduring pain and the feeling that her son cannot rest until his killer is brought to justice.
The Boston Police Department continues to solicit information from the public, emphasizing that witness and community input is a crucial resource in solving such cases.
A chilling discovery in the investigation revealed that the gun used to kill Alexander was linked to two other violent crimes. A month before his death, the same firearm was used in a shooting at the Harambe Playground, which is near the Franklin Fields Development. In that incident, two men on dirt bikes opened fire on each other, and a stray bullet struck a 4-year-old boy in the back. Tragically, the same weapon was used again in October 2011 in the murder of Paula Jacobs, who was shot and killed while standing outside her grandmother's home in the Orchard Park Housing Development. Despite the ballistic link between these three shootings, the individual or individuals responsible for these acts of violence, including the death of Wilson Jr. Alexander, have yet to be apprehended.
