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Cambridge Dedicates Bench to Slain Public Works Employee Xavier Bautista
Family, friends and colleagues gathered Sunday in Sennott Park to unveil a memorial bench for Xavier Bautista, the Cambridge Department of Public Works employee shot to death on July 4 while walking to work. His supervisor remembered him as 'full of energy' and 'ready to help out, no complaints.'
CAMBRIDGE â Family, friends and coworkers gathered in Sennott Park on Sunday to unveil a memorial bench honoring Xavier Bautista, the Cambridge Department of Public Works employee who was shot to death on July 4 while walking to work from his family's home.
The bench sits just steps from both the site of the shooting and the Bautista family's home, placing the memorial at the center of the neighborhood where he lived and worked.
Bautista was killed early on the morning of the holiday by three masked men, according to authorities. His body was not found until roughly an hour after police believe he was shot. Several people have since been arrested in connection with his death.
The killing prompted the city to reinstate ShotSpotter gunshot-detection technology, a decision that followed community meetings in July at which Cambridge leaders faced residents' questions about the shooting.
At Sunday's ceremony, Bautista's supervisor at the Department of Public Works, Shawn Headley, described a worker who brought energy and reliability to a demanding job.
"It hurts, because he was a great guy," Headley said. "He was just full of energy ⦠ready to help out, no complaints."
Headley said Bautista, a father and fiancé, loved the job so much that he typically commuted to Cambridge from Providence, Rhode Island.
The memorial bench is the latest public recognition of a city employee whose death shook colleagues and neighbors alike. For those who worked alongside him, the bench offers a permanent place in the park where his life ended â and where, they said, his contributions to the city will be remembered.