Event Saturday latest show of support for family of shooting victim Kevin Doherty

SHREWSBURY — A fundraiser and vigil for Kevin Doherty, the Shrewsbury father shot and killed Aug. 28, will be held Saturday, Oct. 11, at the Scandinavian Athletic Club Park.

“We want Kevin’s family to feel surrounded by love and supported during this heartbreaking time,” event organizer Andrea Castinetti said.

Community members have donated a range of items, from face-painting services to autographed jerseys and vacation rentals, for an event that will feature a raffle, live music and food trucks, among other activities.

More: Suspect in Shrewsbury slaying remains held at Women’s Correctional Center in Chicopee

Money raised at the event will go to Doherty’s family, who is expected to attend, according to Castinetti.

Doherty, 56, was a father of three and was set to marry his fiancée, Sarah Schofield, just weeks after his death. Schofield will speak at the event, according to organizers.

Castinetti said the range and number of donations she has received is remarkable.

“I do a lot of fundraising events and I truly have never seen anything like this,” she said. “People from across the state have come to drop off everything from hot tubs to kitchen appliances; you name it and we have it”

Doherty, 56, was shot and killed Thursday morning, Aug. 28, when he confronted an individual who was allegedly spraying graffiti on a walking trail footbridge near Jordan Pond in Shrewsbury. According to police reports, Doherty called 911 to report the vandalism when he was shot. Police found Doherty at the scene and he was later pronounced dead. Following a manhunt, the suspect in the case, 26-year-old Snehal A. Srivastava of Shrewsbury was apprehended and has since been charged with murder, to which a not guilty plea has been entered, according to court records.

Castinetti got involved in organizing the fundraiser in the aftermath of Doherty’s death.

“Everyone was reaching out to ask how we can help and I really wanted to find a way to bring the community together and show support for the family,” Castinetti said.

The big-ticket items will be sold in a silent auction that is slated to begin sometime Wednesday, Oct. 8, and will end a week later, Oct. 15. Castinetti said the auction can be accessed using a link she’ll share on the event’s Facebook page.

The raffle, live music and candlelight vigil will take place from 2 to 8 p.m. at the club, 438 Lake St. Castinetti said she is still looking for volunteers to help run the fundraiser.

“We can never have enough help, day of, as things tend to get hectic,” she said.

A Meal Train fundraiser, also organized by Castinetti, has raised nearly $65,000 as of Oct. 7.

Srivastava is being held at a women’s correctional center in Western Massachusetts and is expected back in court Nov. 6 for a preliminary hearing. Srivastava has a history of violent offenses including a confrontation where Srivastava cut a man’s hand with a machete in 2022. Charges in that case were dropped in July of this year.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Saturday event latest show of support for family of shooting victim Kevin Doherty