Andrew Owens

Andrew Owens, a 38-year-old Black man from Boston, was killed on the night of April 19, 2025, when he was caught in the crossfire of a shooting in the Roxbury neighborhood. At approximately 11:03 p.m., Boston police officers responded to a report of a person shot near 2343 Washington Street. They found Owens suffering from a gunshot wound. He was rushed by ambulance to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. A second bystander was also struck by gunfire but sustained non-life-threatening injuries and transported themselves to a hospital for treatment.

Investigators determined that Owens was an innocent bystander to a dispute that had escalated to violence. The incident began earlier that evening when Jacqueline Cherisme, 34, drove Charles Dixon, 40, to the area of Dudley Station. There, Dixon got into a heated argument on the sidewalk with another man, 36-year-old Ellis Santos, whom Dixon accused of owing him money. As a crowd began to gather, Cherisme and Dixon returned to her car. As she started to drive away, Dixon allegedly fired a gun from the passenger-side window, aiming for Santos. The shot missed its intended target, instead striking Owens and the other victim. Authorities said Santos then returned fire at the vehicle but did not hit anyone.

A few hours after the shooting, Cherisme went to the Boston Police Department and allegedly provided false statements to detectives. Prosecutors said she claimed to have been a bystander on the sidewalk and identified Santos as the "primary aggressor," while also claiming not to recognize the man he was arguing with. Following an investigation, authorities arrested all three individuals in June 2025. “This case demonstrates the dangerous and life-altering impacts of guns in our communities,” said Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan. “Ultimately, this reckless and brazen conduct led to the injury of an innocent victim and the senseless and tragic death of Andrew Owens.”

Charles Dixon was charged with murder, armed assault to murder, attempted assault and battery with a firearm, and multiple firearm violations. Ellis Santos was charged with several offenses, including carrying a firearm without a license and carrying a loaded firearm. Jacqueline Cherisme, an employee of the Boston Public Health Commission, was charged with being an accessory after the fact, two counts of witness intimidation, and two counts of withholding evidence. Dixon was ordered held without bail. He later pleaded not guilty to the murder and weapons charges. As of July 2025, the case against the three defendants was pending in court.