Man Killed Following Quarrel with Alleged Spray-Painter After Walking 6-Year-Old To School — Just Weeks Before His Wedding

A father of three was killed after calling 911 during a dispute with a man spray-painting a sidewalk, authorities said.

Kevin Doherty, 56, was fatally shot just before 9 a.m. on Thursday, Aug. 28, near Jordan Pond in Shrewsbury, Mass., shortly after dropping off his 6-year-old son at school.

Police charged 26-year-old Snehal Srivastava with armed assault to murder and carrying a firearm without a license. He is being held without bail, according to the Worcester County District Attorney’s office.

According to a criminal complaint obtained by PEOPLE, Shrewsbury police went to the Jordan Pond area after Doherty called 911 to report that he was being attacked.

“Seconds later multiple gunshots, and Doherty saying, ‘He shot me,’ were heard on the open 911 line,” the complaint stated. Dispatchers were unable to reach him after that.

Officers found Doherty with multiple gunshot wounds. He was taken to UMass Medical Center, where he later died.

A witness told police he saw Doherty arguing with a man, later identified as Srivastava, about a scooter before Srivastava pulled out a gun, fired several shots, and ran away, the complaint said.

Investigators found two photos on Doherty’s phone, taken about a minute before he called 911. One showed the scooter, and the other appeared to show Srivastava wearing Nike Air Max sneakers and spray-painting the ground.

Srivastava was arrested at his home. Police said he was wearing the same pair of Nike Air Max sneakers seen in Doherty’s photo.

The complaint also noted that officers had been called to the same area the day before after graffiti reading “Coolidge Street Crips” was spray-painted on the ground. Police reported that the outside of Srivastava’s home also had graffiti linked to the Crips.

Doherty’s fiancée, Sarah Schofield, said they were supposed to be married on Sept. 20. “No one should ever endure the trauma of canceling wedding arrangements only to make funeral ones,” she told Boston.com. “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.”

An online obituary described Doherty as an “avid music lover, passionate golfer, and enthusiastic hockey fan.” It added that he was “known for his giving spirit, a friend to all, and truly the life of every gathering—bringing laughter and chatter wherever he went.”