Original Article Sox fan dies after police shoot projectile into crowd Associated Press Oct. 22, 2004 07:20 AM BOSTON - For the second time in less than a year, a sports celebration in this city has claimed the life of a young adult in the wrong place at the wrong time. And city leaders, while characterizing the death of Victoria Snelgrove, a 21-year-old journalism student, as a tragedy, pledged to crack down on such vandalism and rowdy behavior. "While I firmly and emphatically accept responsibilities for any errors," Police Commissioner Kathleen M. O'Toole said at a news conference Thursday, "I also condemn in the harshest words possible the actions of the punks (Wednesday) night who turned our city's victory into an opportunity for violence and mindless destruction." Snelgrove was wounded early Thursday morning when she was struck in the eye by a pepper spray-loaded projectile fired by police to bring the crowd under control. Her death, later Thursday, dampened spirits lifted by the Boston Red Sox' improbable come-from-behind American League Championship Series victory over the New York Yankees. Mayor Thomas M. Menino said his administration will seek cooperation from city colleges, bars in the Fenway Park neighborhood and the Boston Red Sox to help prevent future disturbances. He also said he would press colleges to expel students found guilty of criminal conduct in the melee. "Where is the sense of responsibility of these students? Don't they have any sense of responsibility? Why?" Menino quietly asked at a press conference Thursday night. Repeatedly, Menino and Boston Police Commissioner Kathleen O'Toole referred to those who threw object, lit fires, climbed atop buildings and billboards and destroyed property as "thugs," "hoodlums" and "punks." O'Toole added that most of those who jammed Kenmore Square gave police no trouble and complied when asked to leave. "By creating a scene of public panic and disorder, these people own a portion of the responsibility for (Snelgrove's) death," O'Toole said. "We will hold them responsible for those actions, to the fullest extent of the law." "The Boston Police Department is devastated by this tragedy. This terrible event should never have happened," O'Toole said. Snelgrove, of East Bridgewater, was among 16 people hurt in the Kenmore Square neighborhood early Thursday after thousands of fans spilled out onto the streets to celebrate the Red Sox winning the American League pennant, beating the Yankees 10-3 in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series. She died at Brigham and Women's Hospital later in the day. "It appears from evidence we have reviewed thus far that Tori was killed when she was hit in the eye by a projectile fired as officers tried to control mobs outside the ballpark," O'Toole said. "Designated officers were equipped with less-lethal systems that use projectiles designed to break upon impact, dousing the target with (pepper-like) spray." Boston police reported eight arrests, mostly for disorderly conduct, though one arrest was for assault and battery on a police officer. Snelgrove's father, Rick Snelgrove, expressed outrage, and said his daughter did nothing wrong. Standing outside the family home, he held up a photograph of his smiling daughter. "What happened to her should not happen to any American citizen going to any type of game, no matter what," he said. "She loved the Red Sox. She went in to celebrate with friends. She was a bystander. She was out of the way, but she still got shot. Awful things happen to good people. My daughter was an exceptional person." A police officer was among the others injured in the melee, but none of the other injuries were severe. Emerson College spokesman David Rosen said the school is devastated. "I'm sure the police and the city will conduct a full investigation, but at the end of the day, it doesn't matter how it happened," he said. "It's a great personal tragedy for this individual, her family and her many friends here at the college. We'll mourn her death no matter how it happened." Snelgrove transferred to Emerson from Fitchburg State College a year ago and was a junior majoring in broadcast journalism, said her academic adviser, Janet Kolodzy. A memorial service was being planned, and grief counselors would be on hand to help students deal with Snelgrove's death, Rosen said. City officials had announced there would be a heavy police presence in Kenmore Square after they were caught understaffed when riots broke out after the New England Patriots won the Super Bowl on Feb. 1. On that date, a 21-year-old man visiting his brother at Northeastern University was killed and a Northeastern student was critically injured when a vehicle plowed into a crowd of revelers. O'Toole said likening what followed the Red Sox game to the disturbances following the Super Bowl "is like comparing apples to oranges." There were far fewer Boston police officers working the night of the Super Bowl, and there was no unified command center to allow state and city police to work together, she said. The new Boston Police Command Center has been in use as the Red Sox advanced through the playoffs. Inside, police watch views from 50 cameras around the city as they coordinate with several agencies, including State Police, the Boston Fire Department and even some college police forces. It was first used during the Democratic National Convention in July. The cameras were installed on top of the ballpark and other locations.