In the early morning of Sunday, September 20, 2009, gunfire broke out at a gathering at 7 Edson Street in Boston’s Mattapan neighborhood. Officers arriving after reports of shots fired found four people with gunshot wounds. Twenty-one-year-old Carl Hentz Belizaire was transported to Brigham and Women’s Hospital and pronounced dead. Three others—a 26-year-old man, a 40-year-old man, and a 19-year-old woman—suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

Investigators quickly concluded the shooting was not random and that Belizaire had been the intended target, while the others were struck as bystanders. Despite a large number of people at the party, no suspect description or identity was immediately developed and the assailant remained at large. A civil suit filed by Belizaire’s family later described him as having been shot by an unknown assailant while attending the party.

The Boston Police Department’s Homicide Unit asked the public for help and encouraged tips, including anonymous leads through CrimeStoppers. If anyone has information about that night or about Carl Hentz Belizaire, please share it with investigators.