Man Arrested in Connection to North Cambridge Shooting

Cambridge police arrested a man Tuesday in connection with a shooting in North Cambridge two weeks ago that left one injured.

19-year-old Jayven McNealy was charged with armed assault to murder, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon resulting in serious bodily injury, among seven other charges. Police believe the shooting may be connected to a shooting near Central Square that occurred a day later, according to a police report.

McNealy allegedly fired at least seven shots at a man at a bus stop near Russell Field shortly after 3:20 p.m. on Oct. 6, severely injuring him. The man was treated by emergency responders at the scene and transported to a local hospital.

McNealy was arrested early Tuesday morning and pleaded not guilty to all nine charges. A Cambridge District Court judge ruled to hold McNealy without bail pending a dangerousness hearing on Friday.

CPD identified McNealy as a suspect in the North Cambridge shooting as the department was investigating the Central Square shooting, where shots were fired through a window of a Columbia Terrace apartment. Police believe that someone close to McNealy lived in the apartment, and that the person was present during the North Cambridge shooting, according to the police report.

Police searched the apartment after responding to reports of gunfire, and found distinctive clothing that matched the description of one of the men present during the North Cambridge shooting. Responding officers also observed the man wearing an ankle monitor, which actively tracks his location. After requesting the location data from the man’s device, they confirmed the man was at the scene of the previous shooting and had traveled to an apartment building at 80 Cambridgepark Drive shortly after fleeing the scene, according to the report.

Officers then reviewed footage and key fob entry data at the apartment building, finding that the man and McNealy had been seen in the building throughout the day in the same clothing as the men at the shooting. Police showed the property’s leasing manager a photo of the shooter at the scene, who identified the man as McNealy and named him as a tenant of one of the units. After McNealy was identified, police obtained the arrest warrant.

Days after the two shootings, Cambridge Mayor Sumbul Siddiqui and Police Commissioner Pauline E. Wells jointly held meetings for residents near the areas of the shootings to answer questions and field resident concerns.

At the meeting in North Cambridge, Wells told residents that the shootings were not believed to be random — but did not say the two were believed to be connected. McNealy is the only arrest made in connection with the two shootings.

—Staff writer Shawn A. Boehmer can be reached at [email protected] and on Signal at shawnb.18. Follow him on X @ShawnBoehmer.

—Staff writer Claire A. Michal can be reached at [email protected] and on Signal at ClaireMichal.154.