Mattapan neighborhood upset after verdict

BOSTON (WHDH) -- After the partial verdict was announced in the Mattapan massacre, police stepped up their presence in the neighborhood where the shooting occurred.

Boston police rushed to the area to make sure there were no disturbances after tensions boiled over in the courtroom.

Police Commissioner Ed Davis came to the neighborhood to meet with local ministers in hopes that they could help to keep the neighborhood calm.

Police advised news crews to stay away from the home where the shooting occurred because there were residents living in that apartment that were upset and did not want to speak on camera.

One relative of the victims lashed out at a 7News camera man, hitting the camera and yelling.

Some family members that did not talk to the media spoke with police and expressed their dismay at the verdict.

Neighbors spoke to 7News and described why they thought the verdict was unjust.

“That’s ridiculous, they shot a baby with his mother, oh my God, that’s just sad. They need to redo that over again, I’m upset,” said Miriam Pierre, a neighbor.

“We’ve got to live in this community, nobody else has to live in this community, nobody else has to worry about their kids. We have to worry about if our kids sleep at night, nobody else worries about that. If there was a witness and somebody else told why wasn’t these people found guilty, they should have at least got 25 to life, there was a baby killed here,” said Felicita Cruz, a neighbor.

Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis said he wants the community to let the criminal justice system keep working the case out.

Mayor Thomas Menino released a statement saying, “I encourage all those who are grieving to seek the guidance of trusted friends or spiritual advisors and not act on raw emotion during this difficult time. Our city needs to heal. We need to be good to one another and take care of our neighbors to stop the cycle of violence and prevent another tragedy like this heinous one that occurred in 2010.”

A woman that used to live in Mattapan came back to her old neighborhood to ask residents to have faith.

“The turmoil is going to bad in this community and through the whole city of Boston but they can’t blame them boys but the prosecutor because in my opinion, they didn’t prove their case,” said Rayna Hamilton, a former Mattapan resident.

Thursday evening, a single candle was left out in front of the home where the murder took place.

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