By Miguel Cruz Tejada
NEW YORK._ The police and the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office in Massachusetts accused the Dominicans Saúl Enrique Morales Espinosa and Joshua Ramírez for their involvement in the murder on Sunday morning of the son of the former mayor of La Canela (Santiago de los Caballeros ), Desiderio Arias, a senior at Lawrence High School, during an illegal party at a house on Royal Street in that city.
He was the son of the former mayor of the Municipal District of La Canela, Héctor Arias, a highly appreciated PLD leader in that community in Cibao Central, north of the Dominican Republic.
The two suspects were instructed at Lawrence General Hospital, where they were admitted for gunshot wounds on charges of carrying an unlicensed firearm and a loaded firearm while partying. They were reportedly fired in the shooting via video conference. Before Judge Stephen Geary, the prosecution said.
Espinosa and Ramírez pleaded not guilty.
The authorities have specified the health condition of none of them, but they are guaranteed prison without the right to bail pending a dangerousness hearing dated May 9.
The student, who, according to a friend, did not want to show his face, hesitated to attend the party but decided to participate, where he was shot to death.
The incident occurred at 3:00 a.m. on Sunday, April 30, 2023, and the reason for the shootout between the youths is unknown.
It has also not been said if Desiderio’s death was random or if the matador shot him specifically.
The shooting injured five others; some graves were transported by clinical helicopters to Lawrence General Hospital, where the teenager was pronounced dead.
The injured have not been identified by the police or the prosecutor’s office, and their state of health has not been specified, although it was said that they arrived at the hospital in critical condition.
Prosecutors said late Sunday night that the Lawrence Police Department responded to a disturbance call at apartment number 3 in the 5 Royal Street building at 3:00 a.m.
Upon arriving at the house, we found the six-shot victims.
Dozens of candles were lit on a makeshift altar outside the house.
Two other victims were taken by helicopter – medical ambulances to Boston hospitals for treatment.
The shooting remains under active investigation by the Essex County District Attorney’s Office State Police Detective Unit and Lawrence Police Department detectives.
The former mayor spoke to the Boston Globe newspaper in an interview in Spanish translated by an interpreter. He described his son as a hard worker after authorities announced the arrest of the two suspects.
He said his daughter was a Lawrence High School senior preparing to graduate from high school.
“His life was always working,” he said in Spanish. “He was always an example for the family.”
On Royal Street, mourners had left dozens of candles on the sidewalk in front of the multi-family house.
Lawrence Mayor Brian A. de Peña, of Dominican origin, expressed his condolences to the families of the victims of the tragic act of violence in a statement issued Monday.
The mayor regretted the event, saying that he knew Desiderio and that the mayor’s office was preparing to take more drastic measures to prevent this type of illegal party from continuing to be organized in Lawrence.
He pointed out that illegal drinks such as alcohol and other substances that make these environments risky and potentially explosive are always brought to these hangouts.
State Sen. Pavel Payano, a former Lawrence city councilman, said Sunday that the city’s state delegation plans to meet with the mayor’s office and police leaders to discuss gang violence and guns.
“It’s very shocking, and I think all of us in the community are concerned about a possible increase in violence,” Payano said. “We know that gun violence issues are an issue not just in our community, but across the state.”
Dominican Alfredo Guzmán, who lives next door to the shooting scene, said Sunday that he was about to fall asleep when he heard about ten shots.
He noted that there have been several parties at that house in recent weeks.
