Dean Shot Student: Covert Drug-Dealing H.S. Dean Shoots ‘Dealer’ Over Drugs

A Boston community is trying to figure out why a high school dean shot a student, nearly killing him, on Tuesday. Shaun O. Harrison, a local minister and leader for anti-drugs/substance abuse programs at several schools in the Roxbury area, was arrested on attempted murder charges for shooting a student — who allegedly sold drugs for him — in the back of the head execution-style, according to Boston Herald news report.

Harrison, 55, appeared before a judge Thursday for arraignment on a number of charges stemming from the alleged shooting and marijuana operation he secretly headed in the area. The victim in the shooting survived the failed execution and was treated at a local hospital. There is some indication that he is a student Boston English High School, where the dean who shot him works.

@wbznewsradio confirms Rev. Shaun Harrison allegedly shot 17-yr old student from English HS; Incident did not take place in school.

— Bernice Corpuz (@BerniceWBZ) March 5, 2015

The unidentified 17-year-old student said Dean Harrison, under a ruse to get him girls and drugs, coaxed him to a street in Roxbury. There, they got into a dispute over drugs before the dean shot him in the back of his head. Luckily, he lived through the ordeal to identify his attacker. However, a surveillance camera in the area captured the shooting.

A Suffolk County prosecutor said the dean shot the student, fled on foot, and was later captured after a thorough preliminary investigation. Police believe the shooter has a connection to gangs. Reportedly, he has a mural at his residence that depicts Latin Kings. What’s more, two of three others arrested in connection with the shooting — Oscar Pena, 19, of Dorchester; Wilson Peguero, 23, of Dorchester; and Dante Lara, 24 — say the suspect showed them a tattoo of his gang affiliation. In the past, neighbors in the area complained frequently about the traffic in an out of the dean’s apartment.

Harrison is no stranger to the Boston area, but apparently he has been living a double life. The popular Dorchester minister once represented a ministry at a Methodist Episcopal church. Ironically, at the time the dean shot the student-turned-drug-dealer, he led Operation Project GO, which was created to prevent youth from joining gangs and partaking in violence.

In a statement, John McDonough, the interim Superintendent of Boston Public Schools, said Harrison was fired after the investigation and his arrest in the shooting incident.

“Nothing is more important than the safety and well-being of our students. English High School is filled with committed and caring educators who go above and beyond for their students every day. The school community is strong and its students and teachers have my unwavering support… The employee in question is being terminated immediately.”

For his role in shooting the student, the former dean will appear in court again on April 6 as part of another hearing with the judge and prosecution.

[Photo credit: John Wilcox/Boston Herald]