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Police search for suspect in Brockton murder of 15-year-old and 18-year-old
The alleged shooter, who is considered armed and dangerous, remains on the loose as the investigation continues, the DA said.
Plymouth District Attorney Timothy Cruz has named the suspect responsible for a double homicide that unfolded after a confrontation at a Brockton mall on Saturday.
The DA identified the suspect as 22-year-old Davinci Leonard of Brockton, who is at large and considered armed and dangerous. Police have issued an arrest warrant for him in connection with the shooting.
During a press conference Monday, Cruz said it was a busy Saturday evening at the Westgate Shopping Mall in Brockton. Many teens and families were checking out the new indoor trampoline park and visiting the nearby stores and restaurants.
At around 7:04 p.m., Brockton police received a 911 call for a report of a shooting on the sidewalk outside the Chipotle located at 500 Westgate Drive.
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First responders found two victims suffering from gunshot wounds, Cruz said. First responders transported them both to the nearby Good Samaritan Medical Center.
One of the victims was Tymari Alberston, 15, who died at the hospital. The other was Cevannah Alvarez, 18, who first responders later transported by MedFlight to Massachusetts General Hospital, where she died.
Cruz said the two victims were not related.
Detectives and troopers from the Massachusetts State Police and the Brockton police are investigating the incident. Through witness interviews, video footage, and a canvass of the scene, investigators obtained enough information to obtain an arrest warrant for Leonard.
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The initial investigation shows that an altercation happened in the parking lot between Leonard and Alberston before the fatal shooting, Cruz said.
Leonard fled the sceneon Saturday. He has not been seen since, and he is the only suspect in this shooting, according to Cruz
Police consider Leonard potentially armed and dangerous, as police have not recovered the gun used in the shooting. Cruz warns that no one should approach Leonard.
“The event that Saturday night was a tragedy,” Cruz said during the press conference. “Two young people have lost their lives that Saturday night, and our hearts go out to their families. This is a senseless loss of life, and one death via gun violence is too many.”
Police are in touch with the families of the victims who, Cruz said, “are experiencing unimaginable grief at this time.”
Brock Mayor Robert Sullivan said Albertson was a student in the Brockton public school system.
Cruz’s message to Leonard is: “Turn yourself in immediately and let the process begin. We already have two people. Two families are destroyed right now. We don’t need anybody else’s family to get hurt.”
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In response to a question about people who potentially use guns to solve problems, Cruz said, “If you are going to have unlawful guns in the city of Brockton and the county of Plymouth, we will come and get you, and we will arrest you and put you away.”
Anyone with information on Leonard’s whereabouts is asked to call the State Police at 1-800-KAPTURE.
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