Do you know who killed Natlino? On a cold December night in 2017, Natalino Gomes, a 30-year-old African-American man, was nearing the end of his shift at Peguero's Market in Boston's Dorchester neighborhood. Shortly before midnight on December 1st, as he was closing the convenience store located at 218 Bowdoin Street, gunfire shattered the late-night quiet. When Boston Police responded to reports of a person shot at approximately 11:45 PM, they found Gomes inside the market suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.
He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The investigation into Gomes's death quickly pointed towards a targeted act rooted in a violent and ongoing gang conflict. Authorities determined that Gomes was an associate of the NOB/Wendover gang. His murder was believed to be an act of retaliation by the rival Cameron Street gang. This feud between the two groups had a history of escalating violence, with both sides engaging in retaliatory shootings. The Boston Police Department's investigation into the homicide remains ongoing, and they continue to seek information from the community to bring those responsible to justice.
In the years following Gomes's death, details emerged through court documents related to the broader crackdown on gang activities in Boston. While a specific individual has not been publicly named as the sole person charged with Gomes's murder, the context of his death has been heavily featured in federal indictments against members of the Cameron Street gang. In a rap video released in July 2019, a member of the Cameron Street gang, made references to Gomes's murder. Law enforcement officials noted that details mentioned in the lyrics, such as the caliber of the firearm used, were not public knowledge, suggesting a claim of responsibility for the crime. This and other evidence gathered during a lengthy investigation have been used to secure convictions against various members of the Cameron Street gang on racketeering and other charges, linking them to a pattern of violent criminal enterprise that included the murder of Natalino Gomes.
