Jashun Cooley

Jashun Cooley, a 38-year-old Black man from Roxbury, Massachusetts, was shot and killed on the evening of Saturday, August 24, 2024. The shooting occurred just before 10 p.m. in Boston’s Dorchester neighborhood, at the intersection of Washington and Morse streets. When officers from District C-11 arrived, they found Mr. Cooley suffering from gunshot wounds. He was rushed to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries but was later pronounced dead.

The homicide was one of several violent incidents that took place along the Washington Street corridor in late August, heightening concerns in the community. An investigation by the Boston Police Department led them to identify a suspect in Mr. Cooley’s death. On the evening of September 5, 2024, a team of officers from the Boston Police Fugitive Unit, Massachusetts State Police, Brockton Police, and the U.S. Marshals Service located and arrested Joseph Ruggs, a 28-year-old man from Dorchester, in the city of Brockton.

Ruggs was charged with murder, unlawful possession of ammunition without an FID card, carrying a firearm without a license, and discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a building. The circumstances that led to the shooting remain under investigation by authorities.

On September 6, 2024, Joseph Ruggs was arraigned in Dorchester District Court. A plea of not guilty was entered on his behalf, and the judge ordered him to be held without bail pending trial. His next court appearance was scheduled for October 4 for a probable cause hearing. As of September 2024, the case against him was proceeding through the court system.