Boston man charged in Downtown Crossing shooting
BOSTON, August 30, 2026 – A Boston man is being held without bail after being charged Friday in BMC Central in a July shooting on Tremont Street in Downtown Crossing that left a man with non-life-threatening injuries, Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden announced.
JOSEPH MATTHIAS, 35, is charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, carrying a firearm without a license, carrying a loaded firearm without a license, possession of ammunition without an FID card, discharging a firearm without 500 feet of a building, and firearm violation with one prior violent or drug crime.
Matthias, who has been in custody since being arrested with a gun in Dorchester on July 28, is due back in BMC Central on September 18 for a probable cause hearing.
Investigators used surveillance footage and ballistics evidence to link Matthias to the Downtown Crossing shooting.
At about 11:50 a.m. on July 28, Boston police officers saw a male matching Matthias’s description carrying a backpack and two duffle bags. When officers tried to speak with Matthias, he immediately dropped both duffle bags and ran toward Woolson Street. Officers saw Matthias remove his backpack and throw it over a fence into a yard on Woolston Street. After a brief struggle and numerous failed verbal commands, officers were able to place Matthias under arrest. While being arrested Matthias shouted to nearby residents “Yo, get the backpack and run!”
A search of Matthias’s backpack revealed a Beretta USA Corp. 9mm firearm loaded with eight rounds of ammunition. Personal papers in his name were also in the bag. A serial number search revealed that the firearm had been reported stolen.
After the arrest officers executed a search warrant at Matthias’s home. Officers seized personal papers, including documents with Matthias’s image and name, plus the shoes, sweatshirt and backpack Matthias is seen wearing in the July 9 shooting. Officers also seized a magazine matching Matthias’s firearm as well as one round of ammunition matching the casing found at the Downtown Crossing shooting scene.
“This case came together through top-notch detective work encompassing witness information, surveillance technology and ballistics evidence. A shooting in any neighborhood in our city is intolerable and we will work with all of our partners to find and charge those responsible,” Hayden said.
All charged individuals are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden’s office serves the communities of Boston, Chelsea, Revere, and Winthrop, Mass. The office handles over 20,000 cases a year. More than 160 attorneys in the office practice in nine district and municipal courts, Suffolk Superior Court, the Massachusetts Appeals Court, the Supreme Judicial Court, and the Boston Juvenile Courts. The office employs some 300 people and offers a wide range of services and programs to serve anyone who comes in contact with the criminal justice system. This office is committed to educating the public about the services we provide, our commitment to crime prevention, and our dedication to keeping the residents of Suffolk County safe.
James Borghesani, Chief of Communications