On a quiet Sunday morning, January 29, 2023, the life of 13-year-old Tyler Jacoby Lawrence, a Black male from Norwood, Massachusetts, was tragically cut short in a brazen act of violence. The young teen was visiting his grandparents in the Mattapan neighborhood of Boston, a weekend routine he often enjoyed. As he was walking a few blocks from their home, in the area of Babson and Fremont Streets around 11:30 a.m., he was shot multiple times.
Responding police officers found him suffering from multiple gunshot wounds, and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Tyler, a seventh-grader at Coakley Middle School in Norwood, was remembered by his family and community as a bright and joyful boy with a passion for basketball and a smile that could light up any room. His family emphasized that he was an innocent child who consciously stayed away from trouble and was not involved in any "street life". The shooting was described by investigators as a targeted attack, a statement that initially caused his family distress as they felt it might imply wrongdoing on his part. The community was left in shock and mourning, with many gathering for vigils to remember the young boy whose life was full of promise.
In the days following the shooting, the Boston Police Department and the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office launched an intensive investigation. Their efforts led to the identification of a suspect, 34-year-old Csean Alexander Skerritt. An arrest warrant was issued, and Skerritt, who was already in custody on a federal drug charge involving fentanyl, was charged with first-degree murder in Tyler's death.
Prosecutors revealed that eyewitness accounts and video evidence showed Skerritt getting out of his car, walking towards Tyler, and shooting him five times before fleeing the scene. Despite the targeted nature of the attack, authorities stated that so far, no connection had been found between Skerritt and the 13-year-old victim, and a motive for the senseless killing has not been publicly disclosed. Skerritt pleaded not guilty to the murder charge and was ordered to be held without bail. The community, though heartbroken, expressed relief that an arrest had been made, marking the first step towards justice for Tyler Lawrence.
