Boston Blotter: Dorchester and Iraq?

--The last thing the Boston brass wants to hear is someone comparing Dorchester to Iraq. But that's exactly what a guy told the Globe after a man got shot several times in the head yesterday afternoon.

The victim must be made of steel. He was able to run to a friend's house after getting hit, and he is in "critical but stable condition."

As for the Iraq comparison, a neighbor said, "There's something always going on around here. It's crazy. You think you're in Iraq." That's hyperbole, but we can't blame the neighbor for being angry enough to make that call.

--After one trial that led to a hung jury, a man has been convicted of a 2003 murder following a Roslindale baby shower. We've written about "baby showers gone wrong," but there's nothing funny about the incident that left a teenager dead.

The release from the Suffolk County DA's office says David Diaz, also known as David Nicanor Diaz Perez, has been sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole. Witnesses said that Perez shot the victim, Quirico Romero, Jr, after the baby shower "had wound down for the night." Romero had been shot in the back when Diaz fired into the crowd during a fight.

--Jose Ortiz, whose alleged crimes have earned him a nomination in the Crooked Cop Hall of Fame, has been indicted.

The charges include "conspiracy to distribute cocaine, possession with intent to distribute cocaine, conspiracy to commit extortion and attempted extortion." Oh, and let's not forget that he allegedly "tried to extort $265,000 from a man on behalf of Columbia drug dealers." Can you imagine what this guy is - allegedly - like when he's angry?

--A body was found in the Charles in Newton yesterday.

It all started when employees of Charles River Canoe and Kayak saw a sneaker and started investigating. State police pitched in to get the whole body out. It really makes you want to get in the water, doesn't it?

--In other incidents, a landlord got jumped outside his building in Winthrop on Monday night. While fighting his attackers, a gun went off. The bullet entered an apartment, nearly hitting a mother and her baby. The perps are still at large.

--Last, but certainly not least, some jackass lit a cat on fire this morning in East Boston and threw it into a house. Yes, the cat is dead.

All charges alleged until proven under law.