A Fitchburg teen is the victim of a homicide. Police have identified the body found Monday morning behind the Fitchburg Ridge Shopping Center as 16-year-old Lorenzo James McCittrick. While they’re not saying how the teen died, Fitchburg Police Department Chief Deputy Donald Bates was able to state that McCittrick did not appear to have been shot.
Bates said it was late Monday afternoon before they were able to ID the victim. His parents called police in neighboring Madison, after the teen apparently violated their curfew. “It was a parent-imposed curfew,” Bates noted, adding that while his department had previous contacts with the victim, he did not want to get into specifics. Bates was also unable to say if the murder is at all tied to a gang murder in Madison this past April. Fitchburg is among the Madison-area communities put on alert a few days ago about possible gang retaliation. “At this point it’s too early in the investigation,” said Bates. “This past weekend – and for good reason – there was cause for alarm in the Madison area. But this specific incident we’re not sure if it has any gang ties or affiliations.”
Residents near where McCittrick’s body was found early Monday were unnerved about the discovery, but not overly stunned. Retired pastor Ike Miller does hope police will now pay more attention to the area just south of Madison. “I have said they (police) need to walk through here more. These guys look they’re going to take over. You need to stop them in their tracks.” Miller’s wife Melisa said she’s concerned about their neighborhood. “It’s making me very nervous to know that someone got killed right out here in front of my apartment building. It’s real scary.”
