Kevin Doherty, a 56-year-old father of three who was due to be married later this month, was fatally shot after confronting a man he observed spray-painting graffiti on a bridge in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, police said.
Doherty took photographs of the suspect and became involved in an argument that escalated into a physical struggle shortly before 9 a.m. on Aug. 28, according to police and court records cited by local media. During the confrontation, Doherty called 911; dispatchers reported hearing multiple gunshots and then heard Doherty tell them he had been shot before the line went silent. He was transported to UMass Memorial Medical Center, where he later died.
Shrewsbury police, assisted by Massachusetts State Police, found and arrested 26-year-old Snehal Srivastava the day after the shooting. Authorities said Srivastava was hiding in a residence on Edgewater Avenue and used drone technology to locate him; SWAT officers and a K-9 entered the house. The exterior of the residence was reported to be covered in graffiti bearing phrases including "Ganga Gardens," "Free Palestine," "Free Congo," "BLM" and "GLM."
Srivastava was initially arraigned on one count of armed assault to murder and two counts of carrying a firearm without a license, police said. Prosecutors later upgraded the charges to murder, and Srivastava is being held without bail. Authorities said he did not have a license to carry the firearm used in the shooting.
Doherty's fiancée, Sarah Schofield, said in a statement that the loss has left the family in deep pain. "The saying is true, there are no words that can fully capture the overwhelming pain and grief that we are experiencing," she wrote, according to local reporting. "No one should ever endure the trauma of canceling wedding arrangements only to make funeral ones. This loss, and the fractures it created, are so severe it makes healing seem impossible. He was funny and he was kind. He truly woke up each morning with a smile on his face."
A funeral mass for Doherty was held Saturday. Mourners have left chalk art and flowers along the Jordan Pond walking trail near the site of the shooting.
Shrewsbury Police Chief Kevin Anderson called the killing at Jordan Pond a "senseless act of violence" and extended the department's condolences to Doherty's family. "Our hearts go out to the victim's family and loved ones during this unimaginably difficult time," Anderson said in a statement issued the day after the shooting.
Court records and local reporting indicate Srivastava has a history of violent arrests dating to 2015. Among the incidents cited by authorities and media was an attack in 2022 in a Regal Cinema parking lot, during which a man accused Srivastava of approaching his car while brandishing a machete and swinging at him. That case was dismissed in July 2025 with court paperwork citing "failure to prosecute," local outlets reported. The alleged victim in that case described being attacked at random and said he had to fend off the knife.
Investigators have not released additional details about a motive for the Aug. 28 confrontation, saying only that the encounter began after Doherty observed someone spray-painting on a bridge and photographed the activity. Police have asked anyone with information or video of the incident to come forward.
Flowers and messages left near the Jordan Pond trail have reflected community shock and mourning in the days after the shooting. Local officials said they will continue to review the circumstances surrounding the incident as the criminal case proceeds.
The investigation remains active. Prosecutors will proceed with the upgraded murder charge as the case moves through the Worcester County court system.