HAVERHILL, MASS. (WHDH) - Police are searching for a drive-by shooter who killed a 20-year-old man Thursday in Haverhill.
The victim, Nike Colon, was in the front passenger seat of a car at the corner of Washington and Shepard streets when a person in a passing vehicle shot at him, the Essex District Attorney’s Office said.
The driver of the car with Colon inside drove him to City Hall, where firefighters immediately began to render medical aid. Paramedics then transported Colon by ambulance to Merrimac Valley Hospital, where he was airlifted to Brigham & Women’s Hospital in Boston. He was later pronounced dead, the DA’s office said.
Friends could be seen gathering at a memorial Friday for Colon, who Ian Goyner described as a “happy and loving” young man.
Family members gather at a makeshift memorial in Haverhill where Nike Colon was shot to death last night #7News pic.twitter.com/EtuIHmTFgI
— Steve Cooper (@scooperon7) May 18, 2018
“He was a good kid if you would have met him,” Goyner said. “He wasn’t the type to be an intimidating guy. He was always wicked nice, happy, loving and a good friend to have.”
A witness to the drive-by murder says he scrambled to seek safety in the moments immediately after the shooting.
“I ducked and ran. I mean I ran for my life,” said a man who wanted to remain anonymous.
Colon’s death marks the second homicide in Haverhill in less than two weeks. Mayor James Fiorentini is outraged by the recent uptick in violence.
“I know people are afraid right now,” Fiorentini said. “I want to assure them that we’ll take every possible step and we will keep our citizens safe.”
Investigators are combing through area surveillance footage in an effort to identify the shooter.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Haverhill Police Department.
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