On a Saturday afternoon in Boston, on October 24, 2015, the life of 49-year-old Clive Francis, a Black male from Mattapan, was tragically cut short. The incident unfolded in the Hyde Park neighborhood, where Francis had gone to the home of his niece, Yvonne Lewis, on Wood Avenue. He had been called there by her parents, who were concerned about her erratic behavior and hoped he could have a calming influence.
The relationship between Francis and his niece, once close, had reportedly become strained due to her personal struggles.
Shortly after his arrival, at approximately 12:40 p.m., the situation escalated with fatal consequences. Lewis is alleged to have fired three shots at her uncle, striking him once in the head outside her residence. Following the shooting, she reportedly fled the scene in his SUV. The discovery of the tragedy was made by Francis's own 11-year-old son, who found his father deceased. Francis was transported to a hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. He was a father of three and the owner of a trucking company.
Authorities located and arrested Yvonne Lewis, who was 36 years old at the time, about five hours later in the hallway of a hotel in Peabody. She was subsequently charged with murder. During her arraignment in West Roxbury District Court, Lewis, a former civilian employee of the Boston Police Department, appeared in a hospital gown and initially refused to enter the courtroom.
The motive for the killing remained unclear to the family, who were shocked by the violent turn of events. Relatives indicated to law enforcement that Lewis had been struggling with drug abuse. In court, a judge ordered her to undergo a 20-day psychiatric evaluation before further legal proceedings. Boston's police commissioner at the time described the shooting as a tragic domestic incident that had forever altered the family.
