Braintree Police are investigating a fatal shooting of a woman in the front yard of her home at 64 Howie Road.
Norfolk County District Attorney Michael Morrissey identified the victim as 59-year-old Laurie Melchionda, who is the Director of Health and Services and Field School Nurse with the Weston Schools.
The alleged shooter is in custody, identified as 61-year-old Robert Bonang of Marshfield. Neighbors said he used to live in the neighborhood, but moved out about six years ago.
“They were people who were known to each other,” said Morrissey.
Reports indicate that Bonang was wearing a brown uniform, similar to that of a delivery driver. Neighbors on the street say it’s a close-knit neighborhood, and they never expected something like this to happen.
Joe McAndrew said he was doing yardwork in front of his home, and heard a series of booms. He thought they were firecrackers. A woman walking with her children nearby started calling 911 to report the shots being fired.
McAndrew saw a man standing in the nearby yard.
“Then I saw him put a clip in and it’s only three houses away, and I was right there. He shot the ground like crazy, like shooting at a pond or lake,” said McAndrew. “Then he threw the gun on the grass, then he went to Acorn Circle and then he came back. I just found out he knocked on another woman’s door.”
Morrissey said police quickly arrived on scene, and Bonang obeyed commands from officers and was taken into custody.
Melchionda was taken to South Shore Hospital, where she later died.
There is still a heavy police presence on Howie Road, investigators are taking pictures around the front of the home. State Police, Braintree Police, and detectives from the Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office are investigating.
Bonang will remain in custody and is expected to be arraigned Thursday on murder and firearm charges electronically by a Quincy District Court judge.
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** An earlier version of this article reported that Laurie Melchionda was the Head of Nursing for the Braintree Schools. She is the Director of Health and Services and Field School Nurse with the Weston Schools.
