On April 8, 2022, the sound of gunfire shattered the night in Roslindale. At the Alfa gas station on Washington Street, two people were hit. One was rushed to the hospital, but another, 23-year-old Dreshaun Johnson, was shot dead.
“My mom called me and told me that she heard there was a shooting in Roslindale,” Dreshaun’s sister, Anasia Smith told me. “She said she was headed to the gas station, and people were saying that it was Dre.”
Anasia headed straight to Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, thinking that’s where EMTs had taken the survivor. Instead, a nurse delivered devastating news to her.
“She came back and said, ‘I’m sorry, it’s not him.’ And that’s what I knew that he was gone,” Anasia remembers.
At the time of his death, Dreshaun Johnson was looking for work in construction. The day before his murder, Dreshaun had a promising interview with the retailer, AutoZone. Anasia remembers how much her brother loved sports, especially basketball.
“People just gravitated towards him. He loved sports. He loved to make music. He loved to spend time with his family. Just really, like a happy-go-lucky guy,” Anasia said.