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Canton man charged with murder in Labor Day shooting inside Dorchester barbershop
Diamond Jose Brito pleaded not guilty Friday in connection with the Labor Day double shooting that killed 20-year-old Elijah Ricardo Clunie.
A Canton man pleaded not guilty to murder and several firearms charges Friday in connection with a deadly barbershop shooting in Dorchester last month.
Diamond Jose Brito, 32, was ordered held without bail following his arraignment in Dorchester District Court, where prosecutors accused him of shooting one person and killing another at Exclusive Barber Shop on Sept. 2. Dorchester resident Elijah Ricardo Clunie, 20, was rushed to a local hospital following the shooting and died of his injuries. Authorities have not publicly identified the second shooting victim, who is reportedly expected to survive.
A video that circulated on social media last month appeared to show the immediate aftermath of the shooting, including one man sitting on the floor with a bloody face and another slumped lifeless in a barber’s chair, Boston.com previously reported. At the time, Boston police said a preliminary investigation indicated the shooting was not a random act.
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More than a month later, authorities arrested Brito around 7 p.m. Thursday in the area of 10 Temple St. in Mattapan, Boston police said in a news release. At his arraignment, Brito was ordered to have no contact with the surviving victim and witnesses, per online court records. Boston.com has reached out to his attorney for comment.
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Brito “has exhibited his propensity for violence, ease of access to firearms, and a lack of fear of using them,” Assistant District Attorney Caitlin Grasso wrote in a motion seeking a protective order to keep certain evidence and civilian witnesses’ information confidential.
The prosecutor pointed to Brito’s lengthy Massachusetts Board of Probation record, which reportedly dates back to 2006. According to Grasso’s motion, Brito’s federal and state records include multiple charges with convictions for illegal firearms possession and other violent offenses. He was also on federal supervised release in a separate narcotics trafficking case at the time of the shooting, Grasso noted.
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Speaking to reporters following the arraignment, Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden said the court appearance was “the start of a long journey toward justice” for Clunie and his family.
“These incidents, cases like this, they can tear at the very heart of neighborhoods and rip at the very fabric of our communities,” Hayden said, according to an audio recording provided by his office. “Senseless gun violence like this just can’t be allowed to stand and continue.”
Asked about Brito’s federal supervised release, Hayden replied: “I don’t know all the facts and circumstances surrounding what his bail status was. I do know that the act that he committed in Exclusive Barber Shop was deplorable and heartless, and we’re just happy that we’re able to now bring him to justice in that case.”
Brito is due back in court on November 5.
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