Two men have been charged with the murder of an unborn baby after the heavily pregnant mother was struck by stray gunfire as she passed them on a bus from Massachusetts.
The woman, who remains seriously ill in the hospital, was struck Wednesday when a gunfight broke out outside a busy market in downtown Holyoke just before 12:40 p.m.
A bullet flew through the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority bus on the 100 block of Sargeant Street, hitting the woman who was eight months pregnant and killing her child.
Local men Johnluis Sanchez, 30, and Alejandro C Ramos Jr, 22, have been charged with murder after emergency surgery failed to save the baby.
Ramos was arraigned Thursday in Holyoke District Court, while Sanchez remains under guard at the hospital after he was struck during the shootout.
Johnluis Sanchez, 30, is guarded in his hospital bed before being charged with murder
Alejandro C Ramos Jr, 22, was nursing an injured hand as he appeared in court today
The Almonte Markt 2, where at least one of the gunmen took shelter as the chaos unfolded
But investigators are still looking for a third man who is believed to have fled the scene.
“Holyoke has suffered its share of tragedies for decades, but such an innocent bystander with a baby really gets under my skin,” Holyoke Mayor Joshua Garcia said at a news conference Thursday.
‘Pray for the family and support them in any way you can.’
Sanchez was released on $10,000 bail after pleading not guilty just two weeks earlier to charges of heroin trafficking and illegal possession of a stolen KelTec .380 pistol.
Police had also seized ammunition clips and $3,000 in cash from him.
The cleanup continued Thursday, with a car owner covering two bullet holes in his Toyota with tape.
Jose Almonte, manager of Almonte Market 2, shared WPRI that the chaos unfolded right outside his store after a man who had bought juice at the store was jumped by two other men as he stepped outside.
“They went after him and gunfire started,” he added.
He said he handed over security footage to police, which showed “three young people” fighting, and one pulling out a gun, before shoppers took cover as at least 12 shots were fired.
He saw one man being dragged into the store after being shot in the leg, another running away after being shot in the hand, and a third fleeing on an electric bicycle with a gun.
“That’s life, that’s the neighborhood,” he added.
Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni said he believed everyone involved had been identified.
Ramos has been charged with murder and officials say more charges are expected to follow
The clean-up continued on Thursday following the chaos that caused terror in the busy shopping area around lunchtime on Wednesday
“Three male suspects were involved in an altercation, resulting in a shooting,” he wrote on Facebook.
“It is believed that one of the bullets from that altercation struck a public transport bus and an uninvolved female occupant who was on the bus.
“This victim, who was pregnant, was transported to a nearby hospital in critical condition. The child, who was born in need of life-saving medical attention, tragically died.
‘The two remaining suspects, one is still in hospital and will be charged as soon as his condition allows, the other is actively wanted by the police.’
The cleanup continued Thursday, with a car owner covering two bullet holes in his Toyota with tape.
Holyoke police said they received multiple 911 calls when the shooting broke out near the intersection of Sargeant and Maple streets.
Massachusetts State Police spokesman Dave Procopio said the shooting “is believed to have resulted from an altercation between several people.”
“There is not believed to be an ongoing threat to the public,” Procopio said.
The investigation is ongoing and is being conducted by members of the State Police Detective Agency for Hampden County and Holyoke Police Department detectives, under the direction of the Hampden County District Attorney’s Office.
Holyoke, a city of nearly 38,000 residents, is located about 90 miles west of Boston.
Known as “The Paper City,” Holyoke once produced about four-fifths of the U.S.’s stationery. It is also home to the International Volleyball Hall of Fame.
Wednesday’s shooting occurred just hours after Holyoke police held a news conference to highlight the alarming number of shootings in the city.
The department in March installed ShotSpotter, an acoustic detection grid that can report the sound of gunshots, at strategic locations throughout the city.
Police said the system has detected 113 incidents of gunfire in the past six months, 72 of which occurred near a playground and 27 near a school.
Many of those ShotSpotter activations went unreported by 911 callers, police said.