Roderick Carter,Darrius Jones

67 arrests on gang- and drug-related charges in a 24-hour period starting late Friday night, police said.
The sweep followed a week of deadly violence in Boston, during which four people were shot to death, bringing the homicide total to eight this year, quadruple the number at this time last year, police said.
"The goal of the operation is to send a clear message to criminals that gun violence will not be tolerated in our community," said Police Commissioner Edward F. Davis, reading from a statement during a press conference at police headquarters yesterday. "The roundup is focused on known gang members, many of whom are active gang members."
The sweep, conducted with the State Police, FBI, and US Marshals, also netted four firearms and various illegal drugs, including marijuana, cocaine, and heroin, police said. The individuals were arrested on outstanding warrants and range in age from 17 to 54.
They were charged with a range of crimes, including smoking in public, failure to attend jury duty, armed robbery, and illegal firearm possession, police said.
The sweep was launched hours after a 23-year-old man was shot to death Friday while eating at a Jamaican restaurant on Harvard Street in Dorchester.
The spree of homicides started late Tuesday when 16-year-old Carlos Sierra of Dorchester was shot to death on Strathcona Road.
The next day, 23-year-old Darrius Jones of Dorchester, was shot and killed in a livery car in Roslindale after leaving the funeral of a recent slaying victim. Two others were wounded in that attack.
Early Thursday, Roderick Carter, 24, of Dorchester, died after being shot in the Franklin Field housing development.
On the same day, a man described as being white and in his 30s was found stabbed to death in a three-family residence on Tuttle Street in Dorchester.
The spate of violence came during a week in which Mayor Thomas M. Menino used his State of the City address to applaud police for helping curb crime. Last year, the city had a marked decline in homicides and shootings.
The sweep was expected to continue into last night, with extra police patrols targeting high-crime areas, Davis said.
He said Boston police are "laser focused" on ridding the city of firearm violence. "We will not allow these cowards to derail our mission to reduce violence," he added.
Elaine Driscoll, a police department spokeswoman, declined to say how many additional officers would be combing Boston neighborhoods.

Posted in: Boston