Driver of a minivan filled with children heading down Columbia Road in Roxbury yesterday was shot in the leg

Driver of a minivan filled with children heading down Columbia Road in Roxbury yesterday was shot in the leg by a man who opened fire on a group of people, police said.The man, whom police would not identify, was taken to Boston Medical Center for treatment of an injury that was not life threatening. An undisclosed number of children were in the red 1997 Dodge Caravan when it was hit, but they were not injured.The man was struck by one of a number of bullets sprayed by the shooter at a group of people shortly after 8 p.m., in the area of 250 Columbia Rd., at the corner of Devon Street. It was not clear last night if any shots had come from the group.
Several businesses on the street were hit as well.
A worker at Burritos Pizzeria was nearly struck by a bullet that tore through the front window and into the wall behind the stove in the kitchen."When I heard the shots, I went down to the floor," said Jose M. Yanes, 25, who was the only person in the pizza shop at the time.Another bullet was lodged in facade of Preparations Marketplace.Police had set up at least three crime scenes: one on each side of the area around 250 Columbia Rd., where detectives collected bullet casings; and the other at the corner of Columbia Road and Intervale Street, a block away, where the van stopped after it was hit."It's dangerous here, all along Columbia Road it's dangerous," said one woman, who asked that her name not be used because she lives in the neighborhood and feared for her safety.
The shooting occurred just outside the Deliverance Temple Worship Center, which was holding a service at the time. Worshippers said they heard gunshots but did not see the shooting.The area has been the center of several shootings in recent weeks.
On July 9, a 25-year-old man was shot on Devon Street, just a block away. In that case, police charged William Terrell Hart, 22, of Brockton with assault with intent to murder, aggravated assault, and unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition.
Later that same night, three teenagers were shot less than a mile away in a case that remains unsolved. The victims in those shootings suffered injuries that were not life threatening.