Remembering Alex DoSouto, Boston's First Murder Victim This Year

On Wednesday, the first murder victim in Boston this year was laid to rest in Mattapan. Alex DoSouto, 24, was killed in a shooting last week that left three other people injured. Police say that the shooting does not appear to have been random, and no arrests have been made at this point.

Bruce Gellerman, WBUR reporter. He tweets @AudioBruce.

Arthur Kitty, violence interrupter for the city of Boston.

On Alex DoSouto:
Bruce Gellerman: "He was 24 years old...He came from a very large family. There were 10 children who were all born here in the states. His parents were from Cape Verde. They live in a very rough and a very tough neighborhood in Boston. He became a star basketball player, he was really a terrific athlete — tenacious, [he] played point guard. He would start on the team at Roxbury Community College later on, and actually [at] his last game out in December, he scored 10 points."

On Alex's legal trouble:
BG: "In about 2008, he and three friends had a BB gun. They went down to Quincy and started assaulting and robbing people. They were arrested. He was allegedly the ringleader, and while he was awaiting sentencing, Alex spent...just about his entire junior year of high school in jail for bail violations on an earlier marijuana arrest and his inability to make bond for the robberies and assaults."

On the death of Alex's brother:
BG: "[He had] four brothers, all of them are shot at one point. One of them dies, one of them is shot 11 times in two separate incidents. So, this is a rough neighborhood. And the one who died, this was [Alex's] oldest brother, Luis. He was trying to break up a fight across the street from the family home and he was struck in the heart by a bullet...It really, really hit Alex hard. You might say that a part of him died. He winds up dropping out of school and later on he would write this [about Luis' death]: 'I felt a part of me slip away like the smoke that quickly rises and disappears on a candle that has been put out. I became fearless, not caring if I was shot or killed.'"

On where Alex was in his life:
Arthur Kitty: "He was putting forth every effort needed to propel himself forward, mentally, physically. I think he was definitely, definitely, headstrong about basketball...That was his ticket...That was his freedom. When he was on the basketball court he was free to do as he pleased the way he wanted to within the structure of the game."

On Alex's life:
AK: "Alex was...like a light bulb, you know? He was shining...as many people have already attested before...He loved life, you know? He loved life and it was radiant. And I think that — I want people to keep that light shining."

On Alex's death:
AK: "Truthfully, that's the reason why a lot of...young people throughout this country are carrying a gun. It's a thin line between being a victim and a victimizer. A very thin line. The hurt and pain that you feel...there's no one to coach you through that in those moments when you really need it. And I think...that's where [violence interrupters] come in. Our consistency — always being there. It doesn't even have to be a planned event. Just being there is pivotal. Most of us grew up with an abandonment...authority issues, and it's kind of hard to articulate your feelings when you don't even know how to...There's a cause and effect for everything and I think we just have to identify it...and identify the talent that they have, what they bring to the world."

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