LAWRENCE, MASS. (WHDH) - A 26-year-old man was arraigned in Lawrence District Court Tuesday to face a murder charge in connection with the shooting death of his father in Lawrence Monday night.
The Lawrence Police Department said they received several 911 calls reporting gunshots at an apartment building on Farnham Street. When officers arrived, they found a 51-year-old man with several gunshot wounds. He was later pronounced deceased.
Elvin Joaquin Rodriguez, the victim’s son, was arrested on an outstanding warrant and later charged with murder, according to the Essex County District Attorney’s Office. He pleaded not guilty to the charge.
In court, prosecutors did not offer a motive for the attack, or a reason why Rodriguez had a gun in the first place.
“Very sad, very sad,” one neighbor said. “It’s a tragedy. It made me reflect and need to tell people we need to pray. It’s not an indication that the city of Lawrence is falling apart. Not at all.”
Rodriguez is being held without bail. He is due back in court in October.
The shooting remains under investigation by the Lawrence Police Department, Massachusetts State Police Detective Unit assigned to the Office of Essex County District Attorney Paul Tucker, and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
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