Three people have been charged in connection with a triple stabbing that happened near the Mass and Cass area in Roxbury last week, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office.
At about 11:37 a.m. July 15, staff at the Southampton Street Shelter reported to police that two people there had received stab wounds to the back.
At the shelter, police found the first victim, later identified as Juan Shanks, 33, of Dorchester, laying in the street in front of the shelter and being treated by nursing staff, the DA’s office said in a press reelase. The second victim, Mikia Steed, 38, of Roxbury, was being treated in the shelter’s lobby.
Both victims were brought to local hospitals. A third victim, Jaden Mathieu, 20, of Dorchester, went to the hospital on his own for treatment of a stab wound in the back.
According to police, security cameras in front of the shelter captured video showing Mathieu approaching Shanks with a gun and hitting Shanks in the head with the butt end before dropping the gun on the ground.
Shanks and Mathieu wrestled on the ground until an unknown suspect wearing a dark hoodie and red pants approached and stabbed Shanks in the back, police said. Multiple people, including Steed, then attacked Shanks, and Steed could be seen on video punching, kicking and hitting Shanks with a milk crate.
Shanks then got up and chased Steed, stabbing her multiple times in the lower back, police said.
Multiple security guards attempted to stop the fight, and Shanks tossed a knife away, police said. Steed went into the lobby of the shelter and collapsed next to the security checkpoint.
Another man, later identified as Jose Alicea, was seen on camera picking up Mathieu’s gun and putting it in his waistband, police said. He then walked under a canopy connected to a green tent no teh corner of Atkinson and Southampton Streets. Police later secured the tent and found two loaded guns. Alicea has not been charged.
Another unknown suspect wearing a green t-shirt and blue jean shorts approached the scene with a machete, which was taken by a security guard. Neither this suspect or the suspect who stabbed Shanks have been identified.
None of the injuries Shanks, Steed or Mathieu received in the incident were life-threatening, officials said.
Police also found a folding knife in Shanks’ pants pocket.
Mathieu has been charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, carrying a firearm without a license, and possession of ammunition without a firearms identification card. He has been held without bail pending a dangerous hearing scheduled for July 26. Officials said Mathieu has an additional open firearm-related case in Roxbury.
Shanks was charged with armed assault to murder and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. He was found dangerous and has been held without bail. He will return to court on Aug. 25.
Steed was charged with two counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. A judge set bail at $2,500 and issued a no-contact order between Steed and Mathieu and Shanks. She will return to court on Aug. 18. She also had an open warrant in Suffolk Superior Court connected with a masked armed robbery that occurred in December, officials said.
District Attorney Kevin Hayden said the incident was a reflection of the services needed in the neighborhood near the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard, which is known for heavy drug use and a large homeless population.
“What’s happening at Mass and Cass is a human tragedy and a community nightmare. This alarming violence illustrates, yet again, the urgent need for a collaborative approach combining all our resources—local, regional and state,” Hayden said. “Police and prosecutors continue to target serious offenders and we are seeking additional funding for our Services over Sentences program, which helps low-level offenders escape the area. But without a comprehensive approach a solution will never be adequately addressed.”
