SHREWSBURY — A quiet Worcester County town erupted in chaos Thursday morning after a father was gunned down just moments after dropping his child at school, sending shockwaves through a community that never expected to wake up to murder on its streets.

The 57-year-old victim was walking along a trail by Jordan Pond when a confrontation exploded into gunfire around 8:47 a.m. Police said the victim had just dropped off his 6-year-old child at school minutes before the killing.

Within minutes, local schools were placed on lockdown as police warned residents to shelter in place. The suburban calm of Shrewsbury was replaced by sirens, armed patrols, and helicopters circling overhead.

Officers swarmed a nearby neighborhood, zeroing in on a home splattered with graffiti — slogans reading “Free Palestine” and “BLM” sprayed across its walls. SWAT teams surrounded the property and eventually took a 26-year-old suspect into custody.

The suspect was removed from the spray-painted house as investigators combed the property for evidence. Worcester County District Attorney Joseph Early called the killing a “senseless tragedy” in an afternoon press conference.

The imagery of radical slogans scrawled across the suspect’s home is hard to ignore. For years, activist-style graffiti has been the backdrop of protests that have spilled into city streets. Now those same phrases showed up on the walls of a suburban house tied to a daylight killing — a chilling echo of how far the activist fringe has bled into daily life.

By mid-morning, the crime scene stretched across the pond trail. Schools remained secured as anxious parents waited outside, and yellow police tape cordoned off the quiet walking path where the father’s life was cut short.

The investigation is still in its early stages. While the political graffiti at the suspect’s home has raised questions, authorities have not confirmed any motive or ideological connection to the shooting.

What is clear: Shrewsbury’s suburban bubble has been shattered. A father is dead, a suspect is in custody, and a shaken community is left to wonder whether activist slogans turning up at crime scenes is just a coincidence — or something darker.