The suspect in a drive-by shooting in Hartford that left a 20-year-old mother and her 4-month-old son dead earlier this week has been found in Puerto Rico and has been arrested, according to police.
Officers were called to Hartford Hospital on Tuesday around 2:45 p.m. for a report of a vehicle arriving with multiple gunshot victims. In total, three people had been shot.
Authorities said 20-year-old Jessiah Mercado and her 4-month-old son, Messiah Diaz, both of Springfield, Massachusetts, were pronounced dead at the hospital. A man in his 20s was also injured in the shooting. His injuries were described as non-life threatening.
Investigators said all three people were shot while in a vehicle on New Britain Avenue after another vehicle pulled up and open fire.
After the shooting, police said 23-year-old Lance Morales was identified as a suspect and U.S. Marshals said they learned he had fled to Puerto Rico.
On Saturday, he was found by the U.S. Marshals Violent Fugitive Task Force at a home in Fajardo in Puerto Rico and was taken into custody. He was formally charged as a fugitive from justice and is being held on a $3 million bond while awaiting extradition.
“It’s a horrible tragedy and as a dad, I can’t stop thinking about that baby who lost their life. It’s just heartbreaking. It’s devastating. It should never happen,” Hartford Mayor Arunan Arulampalam said.
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In Connecticut, Morales is expected to be charged with murder with special circumstances, murder, assault, criminal attempt to commit assault and criminal possession of a firearm.
