NU student shot to death on Hill
Maggie Cassidy
Issue date: 5/21/08 Section: News
A female Northeastern student was shot and killed in her Mission Hill apartment early yesterday morning, according to police and local media reports.
Rebecca Payne, 22, of New Milford, Conn., was found dead in a Parker Hill Avenue apartment yesterday, according to the Boston Globe, who confirmed her identity through her father. Police did not identify the victim, but said she is believed to be Hispanic and about 22 years old.
While several students live in the apartment complex, The News could not confirm that Payne was a resident.
Requests for comment left at the Payne family household in Connecticut yesterday afternoon were unreturned.
The building manager for the Parker Hill Apartments complex, Felix Luna, found the victim inside the apartment, said Rosa Gonzales, his mother-in-law who lives on the third floor of the building.
Police arrived shortly before 7 a.m. and found the victim who appeared to have suffered from gunshot wounds. She was pronounced dead at the scene, according to police reports.
According to local media reports, the building manager found Payne after the door to her apartment was left open. She was shot twice in the legs and once in the chest, according to the reports. Boston Police did not have further information as of press time.
Luna declined to comment to The News yesterday afternoon.
Several apartment residents said they heard gun shots late Monday night but did not call police. One resident, who has lived in the complex for about 10 years, told The News, "I heard four to five gun shots. I didn't pay to mind to it because I hear gun shots a lot, so it was like whatever."
Nobody called police, according to the Globe, who cited anonymous police officers. Elaine Driscoll, a spokesperson for Police Commissioner Edward F. Davis told the Globe it was unclear whether Payne would have survived had police been notified immediately.
Police and homicide detectives were working on the scene yesterday, and officers could be seen through a second-floor window. The crime scene initially included the apartment complex, an adjacent parking lot, a portion of Parker Hill Avenue and a playground across the street.
Rebecca Payne, 22, of New Milford, Conn., was found dead in a Parker Hill Avenue apartment yesterday, according to the Boston Globe, who confirmed her identity through her father. Police did not identify the victim, but said she is believed to be Hispanic and about 22 years old.
While several students live in the apartment complex, The News could not confirm that Payne was a resident.
Requests for comment left at the Payne family household in Connecticut yesterday afternoon were unreturned.
The building manager for the Parker Hill Apartments complex, Felix Luna, found the victim inside the apartment, said Rosa Gonzales, his mother-in-law who lives on the third floor of the building.
Police arrived shortly before 7 a.m. and found the victim who appeared to have suffered from gunshot wounds. She was pronounced dead at the scene, according to police reports.
According to local media reports, the building manager found Payne after the door to her apartment was left open. She was shot twice in the legs and once in the chest, according to the reports. Boston Police did not have further information as of press time.
Luna declined to comment to The News yesterday afternoon.
Several apartment residents said they heard gun shots late Monday night but did not call police. One resident, who has lived in the complex for about 10 years, told The News, "I heard four to five gun shots. I didn't pay to mind to it because I hear gun shots a lot, so it was like whatever."
Nobody called police, according to the Globe, who cited anonymous police officers. Elaine Driscoll, a spokesperson for Police Commissioner Edward F. Davis told the Globe it was unclear whether Payne would have survived had police been notified immediately.
Police and homicide detectives were working on the scene yesterday, and officers could be seen through a second-floor window. The crime scene initially included the apartment complex, an adjacent parking lot, a portion of Parker Hill Avenue and a playground across the street.
Viewing Comments 1 - 9 of 18
lmao
posted 5/21/08 @ 9:28 AM EST
"One resident, who has lived in the complex for about 10 years, told The News, "I heard four to five gun shots. I didn't pay to mind to it because I hear gun shots a lot, so it was like whatever. (Continued…)
lmao
posted 5/21/08 @ 9:36 AM EST
There a reason my comment wasn't posted?
Henry
posted 5/21/08 @ 12:35 PM EST
Am I the only one wondering why we didn't get one of those emergency text messages? Isn't this the exact reason they made the system? I realize it was off campus, but still, shouldn't we have been notified in something more urgent than an e-mail?
Jason
posted 5/21/08 @ 12:46 PM EST
Look, obviously if the person was aware that someone had been shot and ignored it that is CLEARLY wrong. I knew there would be this response to the quote as soon as I read it this morning, to me it looks like textbook journalism trying to put a spin on a comment that was obviously dumb (there is no doubt it was stupid). (Continued…)
Matt
posted 5/21/08 @ 1:18 PM EST
1. I'm more appalled that gun shots, or noises that sound like gun shots, are so common to kids that their attitude is, "like whatever". Says something about the neighborhood. (Continued…)
Amanda
posted 5/21/08 @ 1:32 PM EST
Maybe if housing was not so expensive and such a limited resource at NEU, people wouldn't feel obligated to move to the hill. I hope the University realizes that they should focus on bringing more students down back towards campus for a cheaper price. (Continued…)
Judy
posted 5/21/08 @ 3:38 PM EST
As a mom of a current NEU student, my heart goes out to Rebecca's family and friends. I think that the previous posters are losing sight about the tragedy that occured and should use this board as a way to make a positive change so that this doesn't ever happen again. (Continued…)
Mike
posted 5/21/08 @ 3:52 PM EST
this is a very sad story and my heart goes out to the girl's family but it's a shame that Northeastern's expensive on campus housing drives students away to find cheaper places to live. (Continued…)
Jeanne
posted 5/22/08 @ 1:44 AM EST
I am a female student living on the hill and this tragedy really hits home. I never thought that the hill was the safest place to live but I didn't realize the extent of the violence taking place. (Continued…)
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