Father fatally shot in Shrewsbury identified; suspect held without bail

SHREWSBURY — Authorities have identified the man shot and killed near Jordan Pond Thursday morning as 56-year-old Kevin Doherty.

Doherty, whose hometown has not been publicly released, had just dropped off his 6-year-old child at a nearby elementary school before encountering a man spray-painting graffiti on a bridge near the pond. According to Worcester County District Attorney Joseph Early Jr., Doherty took a photo of the suspect while he was spray-painting, which led to a confrontation with the man, later identified as Snehal Ansh Srivastava, 26.

Doherty dialed 911 to report the incident. As he spoke with the dispatcher, gunfire erupted. According to CBS News Boston, Doherty could be heard saying, “He shot me,” before the line went silent.

Police arrived shortly before 8:50 a.m. and found Doherty with multiple gunshot wounds. He was transported to UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester, where he later died from his injuries.

Srivastava fled the scene on foot. Police then launched a large, multi-agency search involving Auburn, Boylston, Grafton, Northborough, Westborough, and the Massachusetts State Police, according to a Thursday evening press release from the Shrewsbury Police Department. He was eventually located using drone surveillance inside his house on Edgewater Avenue and surrendered to the State Police Tactical Operations Team.

WCVB reported that, Srivastava’s home, located at 29 Edgewater Avenue, was covered in spray-painted slogans which included: “Ganga Gardens,” “Free Palestine,” “Free Congo,” and “BLM.”

Investigators say Doherty’s cellphone had two photos on it taken about a minute before his 911 call, CBS News Boston reported. One of the photos was of Srivastava spray-painting the ground, the other photo showed the scooter. Investigators also recovered clothing at Srivastava’s home matching what he was allegedly wearing in the image.

According to court documents, Shrewsbury police have been familiar with Srivastava since 2015 and noted prior charges, including a 2022 Westborough case alleging a machete attack in a movie theater parking lot that was later dismissed, Boston 25 News reported.

Srivastava was arraigned in Westborough District Court Friday on charges of armed assault with intent to murder and carrying a firearm without a license. He pleaded not guilty and is currently being held without bail pending a dangerousness hearing scheduled for September 12.