WESTBORO, Mass. — A criminal complaint filed on Friday identified a father who was fatally shot in Shrewsbury on his way home from dropping his 6-year-old child off at school, while the suspect in his death faced a judge and was ordered held without bail.
Snehal Srivastava, 26, of Shrewsbury, was arraigned in Westboro District Court on charges of armed assault with intent to murder and carrying a firearm without a license in connection with the death of 56-year-old Kevin Doherty, court documents obtained by Boston 25 News indicated. A plea of not guilty was entered on his behalf.
In the court documents, Shrewsbury police said they are familiar with Srivastava through an extensive history dating back to 2015. Boston 25 News obtained records of Srivastava’s prior charges, including a case from 2022 when the 26-year-old was accused of attacking someone with a machete in a movie theatre parking lot.
The case was dismissed in July with court paperwork citing “failure to prosecute.” Boston25 reached out to the Worcester County District Attorney’s Office to learn more about that decision, they responded with the following statement:
“The defendant has a case currently before the court. It is inappropriate to comment on a prior case or the current case pursuant to our rules of professional conduct, specifically 3.6 and 3.8 while the current case is pending.”
Srivastava was allowed to hide from the courtroom camera during the arraignment due to “identity issues,” but a Boston 25 photographer captured video of the suspect being escorted into the courthouse by law enforcement.
Doherty called 911 shortly before 9 a.m. on Thursday to report that he was being attacked, and while he was on the line with dispatch, multiple gunshots were heard, followed by Doherty exclaiming, “He shot me,” prosecutors said.
When officers arrived at the scene along a pathway at Jordan Pond in the area of Edgewater Avenue, they found Doherty unresponsive and suffering from multiple gunshot wounds, according to authorities.
Doherty was rushed to UMass Medical Center in Worcester, where he was pronounced dead.
A witness told police that he was near the pond when he saw the suspect, later identified as Srivastava, involved in an argument with Doherty, who was walking his child’s scooter and helmet home after dropping him off at the Coolidge School, court documents indicated. Srivastava then allegedly pulled out a firearm, opened fire on Doherty, and fled the scene on foot.
Worcester District Attorney Joseph Early and Shrewsbury Police Chief Kevin Anderson said Thursday that the victim was using a phone to record the suspect, who was allegedly spray-painting near the pond, before the shooting.
“The gentleman who was shot earlier was walking his child to school and was returning from the school when he interacted with a man,” Early said. “It appeared that the man was doing some type of spray painting. He took a picture of the man, and that started an altercation. The person then had a dispute, and gunshots were heard.”
As a result of the shooting, Anderson immediately ordered residents in the area of Jordan Pond, Edgewater Avenue, and Plainfield Avenue to shelter in place. Officers also secured the campus of the nearby Coolidge School as a precaution.
Srivastava was located a short time later, barricaded in a nearby home, after the Shrewsbury Police Department launched a drone in the neighborhood. A Massachusetts State Police Special Tactical Operations team ultimately negotiated a peaceful resolution with the suspect, who surrendered without further incident.
Video shared with Boston 25 News showed the moment the suspect was detained in the street front of a white home that had “Free Palestine,” “BLM,” “GLM,” and “Free Congo” painted on the front.
Prosecutors noted that investigators found two photos on Doherty’s cellphone, timestamped about a minute before his 911 call. One showed his child’s scooter, and the second showed a dark-skinned man spray painting the ground.
“Approximately one day earlier, the Shrewsbury Police Department responded to a call for service for graffiti painted on the Jordan Pond trail, where ”Coolidge Street Crips” had been painted on the ground," authorities stated in the documents. “It should be noted that the exterior of Srivastava‘s residence has graffiti on it referencing Crip affiliation.”
Those familiar with the area, as well as law enforcement, told Boston 25 that they have had run-ins with the suspect in the past.
John Bissonnette works nearby and said he’s come in contact with the suspect before, including earlier in the week on Tuesday, when he ended up calling the police on him.
“A couple of days ago, I was pulling out of a parking spot right here, and he came flying down into the parking lot. You’re supposed to go 5 miles per hour; he’s going like 50. He almost hit me, and then he almost hit one of the mechanics that works here, and the mechanic said something to him, and he got out of his car and started saying, ‘Don’t disrespect me, mind your own business.’ I backed up to see what was going on, and he came charging at me and yelling at me,” Bissonnette said.
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Early on Thursday said the suspect was known to law enforcement, acknowledging an incident involving a machete in Westboro back in 2022.
In the court documents, Shrewsbury police said they are familiar with Srivastava “through extensive history dating back to 2015.”
Doherty’s family was visibly distraught as they left the arraignment and were unable to speak to the media.
Srivastava is due back in court for a dangerousness hearing on Friday, Sept. 12.
An investigation is ongoing.
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