A Lewiston woman was shot and killed in a Boston neighborhood late Tuesday in what police described as a drug deal gone wrong.

Her boyfriend was shot in the head and listed in critical condition at Boston Medical Center on Thursday night, police said.

Erica Field, 29, was dead when she was found late Tuesday night in a rental car parked on Norwell Street in Dorchester. Next to her, 32-year-old Shameek “Jo Jo” Garcia had been shot several times and at least once in the head, according to reports given to the Boston Herald.

It was believed both of them had been shot several times. A reporter at the Herald said he was told Field was sitting in the driver’s seat.

According to friends in Lewiston, Field and Garcia had been living together in an apartment on Davis Street, near Bates College.

Since the shooting, investigators from Boston have come to Maine where they have been joined by Lewiston police and agents from the Central Maine Violent Crimes Task Force in a search for clues to the killer. Police and agents were speaking with potential witnesses in Lewiston and surrounding towns in a search for a connection between Dorchester and this area.

By late Thursday, no weapon had been discovered. Investigators were exploring the possibility that the gun used in the shootings may have come from Maine, police said.

Both Garcia and Field had criminal records. Field’s was reasonably minor, Garcia’s was not.

In 1995, he was convicted of trafficking crack cocaine in Lewiston. Four years later, he was caught carrying a 9 mm handgun in violation of his felony status. That cost Garcia 2½ years in federal prison.

He also served state time for trafficking crack cocaine, according to court records, and was in and out of jail on other local crimes. Maine Drug Enforcement Agency Supervisor Gerry Baril said Garcia was someone his agents had been dealing with for more than a decade.

In late winter this year, a woman who lives in a Lisbon trailer accused Garcia of keeping her hostage for several days inside her home. The report was later discounted and the woman was charged with making a false report.

Field, who has a daughter in the sixth grade, had a lesser criminal history, having been arrested on charges of assault, disorderly conduct and possession of marijuana.

Friends of Field described her as a good woman who made bad decisions, particularly in matters of boyfriends. She grew up in Lewiston and had been working at Val’s Root Beer, a drive-in hamburger stand on Sabattus Street.

At Val’s Thursday night, store managers said they did not want to comment about Field’s death until they had a chance to speak with her family.

A little more than 10 years ago, Field was a standout softball pitcher who also played basketball and field hockey. Friends said her athletic ambitions came to an end when she became pregnant her junior year.

Field saw her share of family tragedy, as well. In 1997, her older brother Michael was killed when the Jeep in which he was a passenger rolled over and landed on top of him. The driver of the Jeep ultimately pleaded guilty to reckless conduct.

The investigation into the Tuesday night shooting was expected to continue both in Boston and in the Lewiston area. Police did not say how long they believe Garcia and Field had been in Dorchester.

mlaflamme@sunjournal.com

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