On a Tuesday night in November of 2021, the life of Rosa Hicks, a 48-year-old Black/African American woman from Allston, was tragically cut short. The evening of November 9th turned violent on Deering Road in Boston's Mattapan neighborhood, where a shooting broke out around 11 p.m. Responding to reports of a person shot, Boston police officers discovered Hicks at the scene suffering from gunshot wounds.
She was rushed to a local hospital but ultimately succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced dead. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner would later determine her death to be a homicide.
Another individual, an adult male, was also wounded in the shooting. He sustained non-life-threatening injuries and transported himself to a nearby hospital for treatment. The incident was one of 37 homicides to occur in the city of Boston that year, a figure that was notably down from the 52 recorded during the same period in 2020. The shooting on Deering Road was a somber reminder of the persistent issue of gun violence.
In the wake of the shooting, the Boston Police Department launched an investigation into the death of Rosa Hicks. Detectives from the Homicide Unit were assigned to the case and publicly asked for anyone with information to come forward. However, despite these efforts, there have been no reports of any arrests made in connection with the shooting. As of the available reports, detailed information regarding any potential suspects has not been released to the public. The case remains unsolved, leaving a void in the lives of those who knew Rosa Hicks and a community still seeking answers.