BOSTON — A Dorchester man was shot inside his own apartment in the middle of the night after a woman he knew allegedly lured him into a coordinated home invasion — inviting a second woman over before two armed men burst through the front door carrying a handgun and a shotgun, according to Boston Police.

The 45-year-old victim walked into Boston Medical Center at approximately 1:13 a.m. on Sunday, January 25th with a serious but non-life-threatening gunshot wound. What detectives uncovered over the following month painted a picture of a calculated ambush — one that started with a friendly invitation and ended with bullets, pepper spray, and four suspects fleeing into the night.

The setup

According to BPD, the victim had invited a female acquaintance to his Dorchester apartment. She arrived with a second woman. At some point, the second female left the apartment — ostensibly to get food.

She came back empty-handed.

Moments later, two male suspects walked through the front door. One was armed with a handgun. The other carried a shotgun.

The suspect with the handgun opened fire, striking the victim. One of the female suspects then sprayed him with an unknown substance. All four fled the apartment.

A month-long hunt

District B-3 detectives launched what BPD described as an "extensive month-long inquiry," tracing a vehicle observed leaving the area after the shooting. Investigators identified the vehicle's owner and an associate, executed a search warrant at the victim's residence to recover ballistic evidence, and spent weeks tracking the suspects' movements.

The trail led from Dorchester to an apartment at 40 Williams Street in Wellesley — roughly 15 miles and a world away from where the shooting took place.

The SWAT raid

At 6:00 a.m. on Thursday, February 26th, B-3 detectives — working alongside the District B-3 Anti-Crime Unit, the BPD SWAT Team, and the Wellesley Police Department — executed a search warrant at the Wellesley address.

They arrested Justin Martin, 31, of Wellesley, and Jahde Nitschke, 18, of Wellesley, on outstanding warrants.

Inside the apartment, detectives seized cell phones, clothing believed to have been worn during the home invasion, and a Smith & Wesson M&P Shield .40 caliber firearm loaded with eight rounds of ammunition. A vehicle parked outside was also towed for further investigation.

The charges

Martin faces the heaviest charges — and his rap sheet suggests the loaded Smith & Wesson wasn't his first encounter with firearms:

• Home invasion
• Assault and battery by discharging a firearm
• Assault by means of a dangerous weapon (firearm)
• Unlawful possession of a firearm (second and subsequent offense)
• Unlawful possession of ammunition (subsequent offense)
• Carrying a loaded firearm without a license (second offense)

That's three separate firearms charges marked as repeat offenses — meaning Martin had prior gun convictions and was allegedly caught carrying again.

Nitschke, the 18-year-old, is charged with:

• Home invasion
• Assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon (pepper spray)

Both defendants are expected to be arraigned in Dorchester District Court.

Two suspects still at large

Police have arrested two of the four people allegedly involved in the home invasion — but two remain unidentified. The two women who entered the apartment that night have not been publicly named or charged.

BPD is asking anyone with information to contact District B-3 Detectives at (617) 343-4712, or submit tips anonymously via the CrimeStoppers Tip Line at 1-800-494-TIPS. The case is the latest in a string of violent incidents across Massachusetts, from armed felons carrying loaded weapons on MBTA buses to masked gunmen demanding gold in a Wayland home invasion and a Fall River home invasion where a suspect shot a dog dead.