On December 20, 1993, 15-year-old Louis D. Brown, a sophomore at West Roxbury High School in Boston, was shot and killed in a crossfire near the Fields Corner Station subway ramp in Dorchester while on his way to a Teens Against Gang Violence Christmas party. The shooting occurred in the afternoon, five days before Christmas.

Louis was described as an honor student with ambitions to study aerodynamic engineering and to pursue political leadership; he was active in anti-gang violence efforts. Initial media speculation about gang involvement or a drug deal shifted as his schoolwork and community activities became known, prompting widespread support for his family. Charles Bogues was identified, arrested and charged in connection with the killing; he later pleaded guilty and served 16 years in prison.

Louis’s mother, Clementina Chéry, helped found the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute in 1994 to support survivors of homicide victims and to promote violence-prevention programs. If anyone knew Louis, his movements that afternoon, or has information about the shooting, please share what is known.