Maldden alld a Vol. 32, No. 29 den AADD -FREEThe Advocate Online: Scan Here for Local News in 6 Languages! CTE OCAT AT www.advocatenews.net Published Every Friday Mayor, Chief: Suspects arrested by Malden Police in local shootings 'Should never have been on the street' 'The courts dropped the ball': One suspect allegedly shot a 68-year-old grandmother in Lynn a year ago 617-387-2200 T Malden Mayor Gary Christenson, left and Police Chief Glenn Cronin, right, expressed their deep concerns over the court system and the way it handles suspects charged with off enses related to gun violence, in lieu of the backgrounds of two suspects now facing charges in Malden shootings. (Advocate Photo) By Steve Freker T he 20-year-old suspect being held in the July 9 shooting in Malden Square is the same person who allegedly shot a 68-year-old grandmother who was on her way to get her taxes done in Chelsea, just over a year ago in SHOOTINGS | SEE PAGE 8 Mayor, DPW Chief go ‘home’ again to support Malden High rising ninth-graders Malden leaders address students in orientation session, discuss their city roles and local roots By Steve Freker W hen you think about it, it is kind of hard to believe. But it is true. When Gary Christenson fi rst walked in the doors of Malden High School in the fall of 1982, he knew hardly anyone. “I was in the hallway on one of the fi rst days of school in my fi rst year and I did not know a lot of people – not many at all,” Christenson recalled while talking to a group of incoming Malden High ninth-graders Wednesday. “By luck, one of the fi rst people who walked by was one of my best friends,” he said, “then DPW | SEE PAGE 10 WISHING THEM WELL: At the end of the talk, Mayor Gary Christenson greeted each of the students and handed them a business card in case they wanted to talk with him about any issue. (Advocate Photos) E Friday, July 21, 2023 Editorial: Malden is a safe community, but trio of recent shooting incidents is beyond alarming his is the reality of the past several weeks in Malden. Instead of taking vacations, day trips or other summer-related activities, families in and out of this community could have been planning something completely diff erent and heart-wrenching: funerals for their loved ones. Malden is a safe community, no question about it. All the crime statistics back it up. Citywide, all violent crime fi gures from this city are decreased, or nonexistent, in each of the past several years. That point was made – correctly – at an Emergency Public Meeting held at the Irish American Club on July 13 by Malden Mayor Gary Christenson, Police Chief Glenn Cronin and Ward 2 Councillor Paul Condon, who called for the meeting after a shooting incident in his neighborhood early in the morning of July 4. Stop right there. A SHOOTING INCIDENT in Ward 2? In Edgeworth? On Emerald Street? On one of the quietest streets in one of the quietest neighborhoods in Malden. Longtime Malden residents might say this was the fi rst gun violence-related incident they had ever heard of EVER on that street, or even in that neighborhood. But it happened. According to police, a group of Malden residents in their late teens had quickly pulled into a private roadway next to Emerald Street beside the Irish American Club early in the morning of July 4. Minutes later, a speeding car pulled off the Fellsway and headed east down Emerald Street. An unidentifi ed person then fi red a number of gunshots out the window of the car at the group of Malden teens. Miraculously, none of the intended targets – most of whom were later identifi ed as Malden young people – were injured or even killed, though bullet holes were later identifi ed by police in at least one of the vehicles. Victims in two other non-related Malden shooting incidents were not so fortunate. These two incidents did not involve Malden residents – neither victims nor shooters – but two people were shot. One shooting took place at Overlook Ridge Apartments on the city's east side at the Malden-Revere city line on June 18. A suspect from outside the city was arrested and is still being held in connection with the incident, where a woman – also a non-Malden resident – was shot and remains hospitalized. A third shooting took place in broad daylight just over a week ago in the middle of Malden Square right outside a busy pizza shop. Again, this incident involved a victim that was not from Malden and not random, apparently involving a dispute over drugs. A man was shot and treated at a nearby hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The alleged shooter, who apparently lived in a number of places, including Lynn and Malden, was arrested within nine hours of the brazen, mid-Sunday afternoon shooting – in Malden – and reEDITORIAL | SEE PAGE 9
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