On a summer night in Boston, 22-year-old Adilson Barbosa, a Black/African American male, was waiting at a street corner, anticipating the light to change. It was just after 11:30 p.m. on July 14, 2019, at the intersection of Columbia Road and Dudley Street in Dorchester's Uphams Corner. In an instant, his life was cut short when he was fatally shot in the head.
First responders rushed him to a local hospital, but his injuries proved too severe, and he was pronounced dead.
The investigation into Barbosa's death quickly pointed towards the city's ongoing gang conflicts. Evidence gathered from phone records and surveillance footage suggested a strong connection to the activities of a gang known as the NOB, or Northside Outlaws and Brothers. This group was known for its violent rivalries, particularly with the Cameron Street Gang. While the investigation indicated the involvement of a NOB gang member, a specific suspect in Barbosa's murder has not been officially named or charged.
In the months that followed, the shadow of gang violence continued to loom over the Barbosa family. On February 8, 2020, Adilson's twin brother, Aderito Barbosa, was also murdered in the nearby city of Brockton. Law enforcement officials suspected that this too was a gang-related killing, possibly connected to the same conflicts that led to Adilson's death. Later in 2020, federal authorities conducted a significant crackdown on the NOB gang, arresting and charging several alleged members, including Michael "G Fredo" Brandao, Ricky Pina, and Samael Mathieu, with a range of violent crimes including murder, drug trafficking, and gun offenses. Despite these widespread arrests and the ongoing efforts of the Boston Police Department, the individual directly responsible for Adilson Barbosa's death has not been brought to justice, leaving his case unsolved.
