Police identify 16-year-old killed in Somerville shooting

SOMERVILLE, Mass. — A 16-year-old shot once in the chest has died, according to police in Somerville.

Police say the teen, identified as Tenzin Kunkhyen of Malden, was shot inside a home on Farragut Avenue.

However, police haven’t said much about what happened inside the home or who fired the shot. They simply said there was no danger to the community and the teenager knew the people who lived in the house.

“He’s alive one minute and then he’s shot,” said a friend of the teen, who didn’t want to be identified.

He found out about the shooting in a text message. He said he and Kunkhyen were friends from school, although Kunkhyen had to leave Somerville High School after a recent change in address.

His friend said he had made some mistakes in recent years and wanted to clear his name.

“I want people to forgive him for stuff he got involved in. Forget about that, because I don’t think it was his fault,” the friend told Boston 25 News.

Investigators haven’t talked about the circumstances surrounding the case as they buzzed around the home where the shooting occurred for hours into the night.

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The Mayor of Malden and the Superintendent of Schools released a joint statement:

"On behalf of the City of Malden and the Malden Public Schools, we are deeply saddened to hear of the tragic loss of one of our students. What makes this particularly painful was that he was just a teenager. Malden High School will have grief counselors available today and for as long as needed to provide assistance to help students and staff cope with this tragedy.  We offer our support and deepest condolences to the family during this difficult time."

Cox Media Group