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Funeral Held For Youngest July 4 Shooting Victim

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BOSTON — Funeral services were held in Roxbury Tuesday morning for the youngest victim of the Fourth of July violence that left four people dead and more than a dozen others injured.

Seventeen-year-old James Coakley was the first to die that night — shot on a sidewalk in front of his house on Hollander Street. Police say he told his father, who had run to his side, "Daddy, I know who it was, I saw them." He died without saying anything more.

Hundreds of people, including teenagers, parents of teens and people who knew or worked with Coakley's parents, lined the streets near St. Mark's Church in Roxbury waiting to pay their respects.

Boston City Councilor Tito Jackson was among them. He said the overflow crowd speaks to the depth of the loss to the community.

"It's not the loss of just a family member but it is the loss of a community member," Jackson said. "We need to continue to build this community up and give the support that these young people need."

So far, no arrest has been made in the fatal shooting.

This program aired on July 12, 2011. The audio for this program is not available.

Headshot of Delores Handy

Delores Handy Reporter
Delores Handy was formerly a host and reporter at WBUR.

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