Cambridge Sees First Murder in Over a Year

One man was pronounced dead after a shooting in Cambridge on Saturday, March 12, according to a press release from the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office, representing the first murder in Cambridge in more than a year.

Two victims were transported to area hospitals after a double shooting occurred at the intersection of Watson and Brookline Streets at 12:15 a.m.

The two victims initially drove away from the scene and flagged down a fire truck. The police were alerted, and the two victims were taken to area hospitals. James Lauture, 30, was pronounced dead. The second victim is expected to survive.

According to a statement from Cambridge Police Department spokesperson Daniel M. Riviello, Cambridge Police officers and detectives “canvassed the neighborhood and spoke to residents in the aftermath of the homicide this weekend.”

The investigation is currently being investigated by CPD and State Police. No arrests have been made, and authorities do not believe the shooting was random.

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will be conducting the autopsy. The investigation remains ongoing.

“Although this investigation is still very active, our investigators are more certain than ever that this was not a random event and the public should not fear for their safety,” said Riviello in a statement to The Crimson.

In early February, the Cambridge Police Department announced that Cambridge had no murders in 2010—the fourth year to do so in the last 50 years.Other years without a homicide include 1985, 2004, and 2007. Between 1960 and 1989, Cambridge averaged less than five murders per year, and since 1990 the annual average for the city has fallen to two murders per year, according to Cambridge police.

The police report for the incident is being held because the investigation is still open.

—Staff writer Xi Yu can be reached at xyu@college.harvard.edu.