On the evening of Saturday, August 28, 2021, a ShotSpotter activation brought Boston police to the area of 11 Erie Street in Dorchester. Officers found 31-year-old Shamel Winston Atkins suffering from a serious gunshot wound. Emergency services transported Atkins to a local hospital, where he later died of his injuries.

The Boston Police Homicide Unit opened an investigation and asked the public for information, offering anonymous tips through CrimeStoppers. On Wednesday, September 8, 2021, detectives obtained a murder warrant for 40-year-old Dorchester resident Gregory Cooper; Cooper surrendered at Boston Police Headquarters that same day and was taken into custody on a murder charge in connection with Atkins’s death.

If anyone in the Dorchester community witnessed the shooting or has information that could help the investigation, please contact the Boston Police Homicide Unit or CrimeStoppers.