As Family Buries 17-Year-Old Son, Still No Arrest in his Killing

Eight days and 29 minutes after police responded to reports of shots fired near Jeremiah E. Burke High School, the 17-year-old killed steps from his school will be buried Thursday. Police have reported no progress in catching his killer.

Raekwon Brown was by all accounts a special kid. His sister tells WHDH 7 News Brown "was the teddy bear of the family"; The Boston Globe cites his "near-perfect attendance record"; Burke High School's headmaster describes his "great potential and strong character."

But the inhibiting factor in the arrest of his killer is perfectly common.

It's "this 'no snitching' business," Boston Police Commissioner William Evans said during a press appearance shortly after Brown's shooting on June 8.

Evans at the time called for an end to that mentality, for the community to "show come courage" and come forward with tips.

If they have, it hasn't yet led to an arrest, despite a shooting carried out in broad daylight some 200 feet from a school.

The investigation by Boston Police and the Suffolk County District Attorney's office continues.

"Almost every open homicide investigation is one witness away from being solved, and Raekwon’s is no different," a spokesman for the DA's office told Patch. "We believe someone out there has the information that could bring some measure of justice to his family and the community. We’re asking anyone with knowledge of what happened or who is responsible to share it with authorities."

Brown will be buried at 1:45 p.m. at Oaklawn Cemetery, according to Roxbury's J.B. Johnson Funeral Home.

Those wishing to assist the investigation anonymously can do so by calling the CrimeStoppers Tip Line at 1 (800) 494-TIPS or by texting the word ‘TIP’ to CRIME (27463). The Boston Police Department has promised to "stringently guard and protect the identities of all those who wish to help this investigation in an anonymous manner."

>> Photo of Brown provided to Patch by Burke High School classmate