Emmanuel Lopes Pires

Emmanuel Lopes Pires was a 20-year-old Black man living in Boston. His life was cut short just days before Christmas on Friday, December 21, 2007.

That night, Emmanuel was fatally shot at the intersection of Bowdoin Street and Geneva Avenue in Dorchester. His death was part of a spasm of violence that distressed the city during the holiday season. In a separate incident on the same night, 18-year-old Tazmyn Soares was also fatally shot on Cedar Street in Roxbury.

In the days that followed, Boston police officials stated that they believed some of the recent attacks in the city were not random. One official commented, “People were targeted.” In response to Emmanuel’s shooting, the police department directed more officers to patrol the area of Bowdoin Street and Geneva Avenue.

No arrests were ever made in connection with Emmanuel’s death. By the end of December 2007, the investigation was ongoing, but no suspects had been publicly identified. The case has since grown cold, and the homicide of Emmanuel Lopes Pires remains unsolved.