In the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston, on the afternoon of April 15, 2020, the life of 17-year-old Alissa King, a Black / African American female, was tragically cut short. Just after 3:30 p.m., in the area of Topliff and Speedwell streets, Alissa was found suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Emergency medical technicians arrived at the scene, but her injuries were too severe, and she was pronounced dead at the scene.
Alissa was a promising student-athlete with a passion for
basketball. She was a member of the Boston Showstoppers, an academic and athletic enrichment program for elite female student-athletes, and dreamed of playing in college after her expected high school graduation in 2022. Her family and friends remember her as the "life of the party," with a quick sense of humor and an infectious laugh. Her mother, Alana Farrell, described her as her "little angel" who was always happy, caring, and trying to help her friends.
The investigation into Alissa's death led to a swift arrest. Eighteen-year-old Anthony Kelley, also of Dorchester, was taken into custody and charged with her murder. He also faced charges of discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a dwelling, unlawful possession of a firearm, and unlawful possession of ammunition. Authorities recovered a firearm at the scene of the shooting. A not guilty plea was entered on Kelley's behalf, and he was held without bail. According to Alissa's aunt, she and Kelley were friends, leaving the family searching for answers as to the motive behind the senseless act of violence.
In the days following her death, friends and family gathered for a vigil to remember Alissa, releasing balloons in her memory. Amidst the grief, her aunt, Jessica Lewis, pleaded with the young people in attendance to choose a different path than violence. A GoFundMe campaign was established to assist her family with funeral expenses, and it described Alissa as having a smile that "was infectious and would light up any room she walked into."
