The shooting at a birthday party near Boston left 1 dead and 4 injured

A man killed by gunman during an outdoor birthday party near Boston died and four others were injured.

Rolando Verdejo, 43, was shot dead Wednesday night while enjoying a crowd in the city’s Dorchester neighborhood, and the victim’s family and city councilor Andrea Campbell confirmed.

In a telephone interview with the Boston Globe, Campbell said: “I was devastated. It was very difficult to hear this happen.”

The other four suffered life-threatening gunshot wounds, authorities said.

The shooting took place in the Franklin Field housing development owned by the Boston Housing Authority.

Campbell noted that the coronavirus epidemic leads to economic and social isolation for residents of the city’s public housing.

“These are folks who want to celebrate someone’s birthday in a safe way, and try to find some joy,” he said. “We have to work on these basic issues.”

Kate Bennett, administrator of the Boston Housing Authority, called the attack “unwise” and offered “heartfelt condolences to the victims of this tragedy.”

Verdejo’s family is now trying to arrange a funeral and cremation for him, so he can take his ashes to a municipality in Puerto Rico, where the victim and his family are.

Wednesday’s fatal shooting comes a week after four people were killed in the city in six days.

The Suffolk County Prosecutor’s Office and Boston Police are planning to investigate the shooting.

“We’re going to work around the clock to make sure we’re looking for individuals, a small percentage of people who are harming our communities,” Suffolk County Prosecutor Rachel Rollins told reporters.