BOSTON, Aug. 22, 2018—A 33-year-old man who shot another man in the head after an argument pleaded guilty today rather than face a jury, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said.

DEVIN BOONE of Dorchester pleaded guilty to charges of armed assault with intent to murder, aggravated assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, and unlawful possession of a firearm for the shooting last year that left the victim with a gunshot wound that grazed his head.

“We’re all extremely fortunate the victim wasn’t seriously injured or killed,” Conley said. “He was shot at close range in the head, and his recovery is what matters most to us today.”

Had the case proceeded to trial as scheduled on Aug. 27, Assistant District Attorney David McGowan would have introduced evidence and testimony proving that Boone was among a group hanging out on the front steps of an Evans Street home on the night of May 26, 2017.

The victim, then 40, came upon the group at around 10:00 pm, the evidence would have shown, and became engaged in a verbal altercation with the defendant before walking away. The evidence would have shown that the victim returned to the scene a short time later, at which point Boone shot him at close range, grazing the man’s left temple.

The victim managed to make his way home, a short distance away, where relatives called for help. Boston EMS transported him to Boston Medical Center, where he was treated. Boston Police responded to the scene to secure the area, conduct interviews, and collect physical evidence. Based on the progress of the investigation over the next two days, they presented the victim with a photo array administered by a detective uninvolved with the case.

The evidence at trial would have shown that the victim identified Boone with 100% certainty. Investigators obtained a warrant for his arrest and learned that he had left town shortly after the shooting. Boston Police apprehended him in Brockton on June 29, 2017. The Suffolk County Grand Jury indicted him about three months later.

Judge William Sullivan will sentence Boone on Aug. 30 in courtroom 704.

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All defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.