A 20-year-old man who was killed in a shooting at a child’s birthday party in Carver late last month is being remembered as a talented musician and a kind friend.
Jalen Pina was among the four people who were shot on Jan. 24 at Saint John the Baptist Club — an event space on Silva Street, the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office said previously. Benjamin Cowart, 27, was also killed in the shooting.
Nicholas Meuse, 23, has pleaded not guilty to two counts each of first-degree murder, attempted murder, armed assault with intent to murder and six firearms charges in connection with the shooting, according to court records. He was held without bail during his arraignment in Wareham District Court late last month.
Remembering Jalen Pina
Jalen Stephen Pina was born on Aug. 4, 2005, in Taunton to Holly Santos and Stephen Pina, according to his obituary. He was the youngest of four siblings and graduated from Middleborough High School in 2023.
Pina was known for his talent as a rapper, according to his brother-in-law, Daniel Wells. He went by the rap name Buku tensai.
“I’ll always admire how dedicated he was in pursuing his passion for music,” Pina’s friend, Ryan Harrington, wrote on Pina’s online tribute wall.
Dozens of memories, photos and other tributes to Pina have been left on his tribute wall since his death. Several of his friends and family members wrote of his love of video games and introducing people to new music.
“He was always fun to be around and never failed to make me laugh,” Harrington wrote.
Many posts mentioned Pina’s friendly nature, and how, as a child, he went out of his way to make friends with and look after children who were shy.
“Jalen was kind to everyone regardless of what other people thought of them. He saw people for who they truly were, and he seriously made every day more enjoyable,” his friend, Amelia Stebbins, wrote. “… He made some of my darkest days feel bearable, and I know he had that same effect for so many others.”
In addition to his parents and three siblings, Pina leaves behind his girlfriend, grandmother, goddaughter and many other beloved relatives and friends.
How Jalen Pina was killed
On Jan. 24, several people called 911 around 7:20 p.m. to report that gunfire had erupted at Saint John the Baptist Club in Carver in the middle of a child’s birthday party, the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office said previously. First responders found four people with gunshot wounds at the scene.
Cowart was soon declared dead, while Pina died later at a hospital, the district attorney’s office said. The other two people who were shot — a 28-year-old and a 32-year-old — were taken to local hospitals for treatment.
Police found Meuse in the woods down the street from the club shortly after the shooting and arrested him, the district attorney’s office said. Meuse told investigators he had been invited to the party but had preexisting conflicts with some of the other attendees.
A confrontation between Meuse and the other attendees broke out during the party and eventually escalated into the shooting, the district attorney’s office said. Meuse told investigators he’d seen one of the attendees reach for their waistband during the confrontation, but police only found a single 9mm handgun at the scene.
Meuse is due back in court on Feb. 25 for a probable cause hearing.
