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	Related links Homicide memorial Dedicated in September 2004, this garden on Beacon Hill, near the State House, memorializes victims of homicide. Help for victims’ families The Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office has a strong outreach program for homicide victims’ families, including a new brochure produced last year. Victims’ Bill of Rights; and a pending amendment The first link describes the rights of crime victims and their families under Massachusetts law. The second is the text of a pending bill that would amend the current law, expanding it and adding new protections. Boston crime statistics The most recent data posted here are from February 2005. The files provide detailed counts of crime incidents by offense and neighborhood. Side-by-side comparisons with the previous month and year provide a good snapshot of trends. Stop Handgun Violence Based in Newton, this organization works for gun-control laws and anti-violence education — and is responsible for the huge anti-handgun sign overlooking the Massachusetts Turnpike near Kenmore Square.

Eddie Williams, Sunday, March 19

Eddie Williams, 30, a father of two, was sitting in a car at the corner of Forest and Vine Streets, in Roxbury, two blocks from the apartment he shared with his sister Alicia. He was seen talking to a man dressed entirely in black who was standing outside the car, according to people in the neighborhood. The man in black fired shots into the car and fled. Williams emerged from the car and ran toward his apartment, collapsing in front of 62 Forest Street. "He fell right here," says Mary Lewis, pointing to the street in front of her building. From her window, she heard the shots and saw Williams running. Another woman from the building, a friend of Williams’s, came out and held him as he bled from the head and stomach.

A streetlight pole midway between where he was shot and where he collapsed has been turned into a memorial to Williams, with stuffed animals, a Jesus sign, votive candles, and handwritten notes.

Williams lived around the corner, on the top floor of the last building on a dead-end street, where neighbors speak highly of him. Alicia, devastated by the death of her brother, has moved. Williams’s grandmother still lives nearby in Roxbury. No arrests have been made.

Giresse Ngwala, Thursday, March 31

Congolese refugee Giresse Ngwala was shot to death in the doorway of his Stanton Street apartment in Dorchester at nine o’clock on a Thursday evening. (His name originally appeared in the press as Dianswecki.) He was a junior at Hyde Park High School, living with his brother and sister.

Ngwala’s parents both died in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The remaining family came to the Boston area after receiving political asylum.

Some describe Ngwala as a popular, good-looking young man trying to fit in with his new surroundings. He DJed at parties around Dorchester, by himself and as a team with several friends. But some neighbors say he was aggressive and violent, with one describing him as a "street bully." He and his siblings lived on the third floor of a white triple-decker in the middle of Stanton Street.

Two elementary-school-age sisters say that they and a friend saw Ngwala shortly before the shooting, with a gun in hand, riding in a car with other men. One of the girls says that Ngwala pointed the gun toward where they were playing, in nearby Thetford/Evans Playground. They ran home to tell their mother, and perhaps 15 minutes later learned of the shooting at Ngwala’s house. The girls’ family has not been approached by police for information, the mother says.

Police have charged a 15-year-old boy who lives on Stanton Street and allegedly had previous run-ins with Ngwala. Allegedly, the juvenile rang the doorbell, asked for Ngwala, and shot him when he came to the door. No motive has been given.

The suspect has been arrested and is being detained at a Department of Youth Services facility in Plymouth. However, the juvenile’s quick arrest — just three hours after the shooting — may have been premature. According to his family, their attorney has confirmed that the boy was at a friend’s house when the incident took place. Other neighbors express skepticism that the boy could have been involved.

Ana Elizabeth Mendoza, Saturday, April 2

Ana Elizabeth Mendoza, 28, was stabbed to death in the foyer of 157 Cottage Street, in East Boston. A native of El Salvador, Mendoza lived on the second floor of the small triple-decker. She was found at 1:15 a.m.

Mendoza was a cook at a restaurant in Needham. She had a daughter living with family members in El Salvador, according to a friend. Her brother Andres lived in the same Cottage Street building, and a sister, Ana Carbajal, lives in Everett.

According to building residents, Mendoza was found lying in the small outer foyer. Her head was on the tile floor near the front door. Her feet were on the first of three steps leading up to the inner door, which was propped open by her purse.

Police do not consider it a case of domestic abuse and have made no arrests.

Yorki Lipscomb, Saturday, April 2

It was raining hard at 10:30 on a Saturday morning when 18-year-old Yorki Lipscomb was shot to death on the corner of Crawford and Harold Streets, in Roxbury.

The quiet intersection soon became dominated by a growing memorial at a streetlight pole, with numerous pictures, notes, teddy bears, and candles. Red Sox caps and references were prominent, including a photograph of Jason Varitek.

Lipscomb was a popular young man, say those who knew him. Mourners packed the Concord Baptist Church to overflowing for his funeral, according to those who attended. His girlfriend is expecting their child.

"He just wanted to be an auto mechanic," says his father, Willie Harris. He says that he and Lipscomb’s mother split up four years ago, after which his son fell behind in school and started getting into trouble. But, Harris says, he was smart and was trying to find legitimate work. "He could have been more. He could have been anything."

Lipscomb had a criminal record and was facing charges of armed robbery dating to last May, when he allegedly held up two men at gunpoint. He died with a gun in his pocket, his family confirms.

However, family and friends deny reports that he was involved with the Crips gang. One close friend, Antwon, scoffed at the idea. At his Harrishof Street home a few blocks from where Lipscomb died, his father also denied it. "My child wasn’t an angel," Harris says. "But he wasn’t a bad kid."

No arrests have been made, and police have released little information about the incident. Harris and Elma Harris, Lipscomb’s grandmother, are concerned that street retaliation against those rumored to be responsible has already begun.

David S. Bernstein can be reached at dbernstein[a]phx.com