Man shot to death on dock after Boston Harbor cruise

Boston police are investigating the slaying of a man in his 20s who was shot on a South Boston dock after disembarking from a harbor cruise boat.

[fragment number=0]Police said they were called to Northern Avenue in the Seaport District around 2:20 a.m. today.

State Police troopers who were already patrolling in the area also heard gunshots and responded within one minute to the scene, located near the Bank of America pavilion. The victim had a head wound, State Police said.

He was rushed to Tufts Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

Boston police, who did not release the victim’s name, said in a statement that the man was a passenger on board the M/V Viking Starliner, which cruised Boston Harbor Sunday night into early Monday morning.

Police said the shooting may have stemmed from an altercation during the cruise. “The shooting incident occurred on the dock after the ship had pulled in,’’ police said in a statement.

The Viking Starliner is operated by Boston Seaport Boat Charters. “We pride ourselves in providing the best service possible and have been in the passenger boat business in Boston Harbor since 1976,’’ the company said on its website.

The Starliner has a capacity of up to 348 passengers and is 110 feet long, according to the website,

Company officials could not be reached for comment.

No arrests have been made in the shooting.

Today’s murder comes three years to the day after Courtney Wilson was found shot to death in a Seaport District parking lot near the Institute of Contemporary Art. Wilson, 41, had been on board a chartered harbor cruise on the M/V Provincetown II before he was killed.