By Pat Irish
Special to the Reporter

Days after the death of Stalex Pizza owner Mumin Manavoglu, close friends and frequent customers were still stopping by an assortment of flowers and candles in front of his Norfolk St. shop, mourning the untimely death of a man known for his kindness and generosity.

Some shed tears. Others shook their heads.

Many echoed the same words of affection for Manavoglu, and expressed the same feelings of frustration towards the violence that claimed his life.

"He was just a good, kind man," recalled Naomi Harris of Dorchester on Monday afternoon. Whenever she walked into Stalex, Harris explained, Manavoglu always knew what she was going to order - eggplant and spaghetti - and would make sure to put on extra eggplant for her.

Last Thursday, at approximately 9:30 a.m., 18-year-old Gary Johnson allegedly walked into the pizza shop with a firearm and demanded money. Manavoglu gave him $60. According to police, once Johnson left, Manavoglu followed him. It was during this chase that Manavoglu received the bullet wound to the head that put him in critical condition at Boston Medical Center. He died at roughly 6 p.m. the following day.

"His shop played a great role [in the community]," said Pastor Antoine Montgomery of the Prayer Tower Apostolic Church nearby. "It was a good influence in the community when he helped people and didn't just try to make money. You don't find too many people like that."

Montgomery recalled Manavoglu helping children cover the cost of a pizza whenever they lacked change, a memory shared by a 12-year-old boy at the Boston Project Ministries. "He'd say, 'Let it slide,' and then let me pay him back the next time."

Manavoglu's murder was exceptional because he was a member of the business community, but shootings are an all-too-common part of life in the neighborhood.

Only a few hours after police apprehended Johnson, another shooting occurred around 3:05 p.m. &endash; this time at a gas station on Freeport Street and Morrissey Blvd. On arrival, according to police, officers found two victims with gunshot wounds, one male and one female. Authorities transported the wounded to the hospital and are still looking for three suspects.

The night prior, officers responded to a call on Hendry Street around 6:30 p.m. Police found a man with gunshot wounds to the arm and leg. The victim remains in serious condition at the Boston Medical Center, according to police.

While November is already off to a bloody start, it follows suit with October, where gun violence claimed the lives of two people and injured another two in Dorchester. Roughly three weeks ago, at about 5:45 p.m. on Oct. 19, officers heard five consecutive gunshots from the area near Dunlap St and Washington St. After pursuit, they arrested a man in a black hooded sweatshirt who was crouching behind the rear deck of 92 Whitfield St. Further investigation revealed two victims who suffered from non-life threatening injuries.

On Oct. 20, police located Miguel Perez, 22, of Roxbury in front of Gigi's Palace on Bowdoin Street at 12:56 a.m. [See related story] Perez suffered from a gunshot wound to the head. Then, around 7:45 a.m. on Oct. 26, police found Nicholas R. Copeland, 20, of Mattapan at 35 Westville Street in a car with a gunshot wound to the head. Both men were pronounced dead on the scene, and police are still investigating the two shootings.

"There isn't one time of the year that gun violence is higher than other times," said BPD spokesperson Elaine Driscoll. "Some think summer, but the truth is this usually isn't the case."

Boston has experienced slightly fewer shootings - 252 - this year than in 2006 when 279 were recorded during the same period; homicides are actually down slightly from 65 in '06 to 60 for '07.

According to John Greland, captain of District C-11, the number of shootings in his district has gone down by approximately ten from last year.

"But one is too many," Greland added.

"We'll never be able to stop the violence completely, but my job as a preacher is to help those who want to come out of the street," Montgomery said. "You can't help somebody unless they really want help. I want to reach out and help pull people off the street who want to."

Johnson is currently in prison on a $250,000 cash bail. On Nov. 2, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley charged Johnson with armed assault with intent to murder, armed robbery while masked, discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a dwelling, unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition, and unlawfully carrying a loaded firearm. Spokesman Jake Wark said the D.A. will drop armed assault with intent to murder and seek a murder complaint.