Special to the Review
Patrick Mendoza, 54, of Boston was arraigned on Friday, July 21, in BMC Central on seven
charges – carrying a firearm without an FID card, carrying a loaded firearm without a license,
possession of ammunition without an FID card, assault with a dangerous weapon, assault to murder,
witness intimidation, and discharge of a firearm within 500 feet of a dwelling.On July 12 Mendoza
rode his bicycle down Hanover Street. When Mendoza caught sight of the victim, he began swearing
and yelling at the victim, making threats such as “I’m gonna get you†and “I’m gonna kill you
(obscenity)! It’s gonna be quick.†Mendoza dropped the bike on the street and pulled a firearm
(described by the victim as a .38 snub-nosed revolver) from behind his waist. The victim fled down
the sidewalk and took cover behind parked vehicles as Mendoza discharged the firearm three times
in the victim’s direction. The victim stated the shots narrowly missed him and struck the front window
of Modern Pastry. An inquiry revealed no record of Mendoza legally owning a firearm. The victim did
not sustain any injuries. Investigation of the crime scene resulted in a latent print on a vehicle and
ballistic evidence from inside Modern Pastry. Surveillance video shows the defendant fleeing down
Hanover Street on a bicycle, stopping to adjust an item in the rear of his waist band. Detectives also
conducted interviews with witnesses who provided a description of the suspect, the firearm and the
suspect’s actions during the attack. Witnesses provided descriptions of the suspect and descriptions
of how the suspect fled the scene on bicycle toward the Greenway. Mendoza received a probation
sentence in December 2022 for assault with a dangerous weapon involving the same victim. The day
of the shooting, Mendoza appeared at a probation hearing for violating the sentence’s no-contact
order with the victim. He was released on personal recognizance and committed the shooting later
that night.“A dangerousness hearing is the appropriate action here, given this individual’s
extraordinarily reckless decision to send bullets flying on a city street, in this case a street packed
with restaurants and bustling with diners and tourists. It’s very lucky that no one was injured or
worse by his reprehensible conduct,†District Attorney Kevin Hayden said. As of press time the
dangerous hearing that was scheduled for Wednesday, July 26 in Central BMC has not been held.