Do you know who murdered Carl Hentz Belizaire? In the early morning hours of Sunday, September 20, 2009, a gathering of people at 7 Edson Street in Boston's Mattapan neighborhood was shattered by gunfire. Responding to reports of shots fired at approximately 3:49 a.m., Boston Police officers arrived to a chaotic scene where four individuals had been shot. Among the victims was 21-year-old Carl Hentz Belizaire, an African-American male. He was rushed to Brigham and Women's Hospital, where he was pronounced dead from his injuries.
The three other victims, a 26-year-old male, a 40-year-old male, and a 19-year-old female, sustained non-life-threatening injuries.
Investigators with the Boston Police Department's Homicide Unit quickly determined that the shooting was not a random act of violence. Preliminary information indicated that Carl Hentz Belizaire was the intended target of the assailant, and the other three victims were unintended targets who happened to be in the line of fire. Despite the presence of a large group of people at the time of the shooting, information about the suspect was not immediately forthcoming. The case is listed as an unsolved homicide.
In the aftermath of the shooting, the investigation into Belizaire's death continued, but the assailant remained at large. A subsequent civil lawsuit filed by Belizaire's family against the property owner revealed that he had been shot by an 'unknown assailant' while attending a party. The Boston Police Department urged anyone with information about the shooting to contact the Homicide Unit or to provide anonymous tips through CrimeStoppers. No arrests have been publicly announced in connection with the murder of Carl Hentz Belizaire.
