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Suspect arrested in Puerto Rico after Springfield woman and 4-month-old son fatally shot in Hartford
Lance Morales, 23, of Waterbury, was arrested in Puerto Rico after Hartford police identified him as the alleged shooter, the U.S. Marshals Service said.
The Connecticut man accused of killing a Massachusetts mother and her 4-month-old baby in a drive-by shooting last week was arrested in Puerto Rico Saturday, officials said.
Jessiah Mercado, 20, and her son Messiah were shot in a vehicle Tuesday on New Britain Avenue in Hartford, police said last week. Another occupant of the vehicle was treated for a non-life threatening gunshot wound, and the driver was uninjured.
Lance Morales, 23, of Waterbury, was arrested in Puerto Rico Saturday after Hartford police identified him as the alleged shooter, the U.S. Marshals Service said. Video showed Mercado’s car parked when Morales allegedly pulled up next to the car and opened fire, according to police.
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Morales has been charged with two counts of murder, first-degree assault, criminal possession of a firearm, criminal attempt to commit first-degree assault, and murder with special circumstances, the Marshals said.
Mercado and her son were both from Springfield, but Messiah was in the state’s foster care system, MassLive reported. The agency said they are investigating the situation.
When police suspected that Morales had fled to Puerto Rico, the Marshals’ Puerto Rico Violent Fugitive Task Force stepped in and arrested him at a residence in Fajardo, according to the Marshalls. Police there formally charged Morales as a fugitive of justice, and he will be extradited to Connecticut.
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“This arrest is a testament to the close collaboration between the U.S. Marshals Service and our valued law enforcement partners,” acting U.S. Marshal for the District of Connecticut Lawrence Bobnick said. “It demonstrates the reach these partnerships bring to the pursuit of justice.”
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