On a cold December evening in 2017, the life of 17-year-old Phillip Demings was tragically cut short. The Black / African American male from Weymouth was found suffering from gunshot wounds on December 19, 2017, near 344 Bowdoin Street in Boston's Dorchester neighborhood. He was pronounced dead at the scene. In the wake of the shooting, Boston police began an investigation that they stated was not random.
As authorities worked to piece together the events of that night, they released a
photo of a man in a blue-hooded jacket who was wanted in connection with the fatal shooting. The investigation led to the identification of two suspects, who were brothers. On January 2, 2018, police arrested 20-year-old Jaquan X. Shepard of Lynn on a murder charge related to Demings' death.
Less than a week later, a second suspect was taken into custody. On January 8, 2018, 18-year-old Jawone Shepard of Roxbury was arrested on a warrant for murder and firearm charges in connection with the shooting death of Phillip Demings. Both brothers were to be arraigned in Dorchester District Court to face charges for their alleged roles in the teenager's death.
