The 35-year-old Massachusetts man who was shot and killed at a Fourth of July cookout in Lynn on Saturday has been identified.
Noe Hernandez, of Lynn, was one of five people shot late Saturday night outside a Fayette Street house. He died at Salem Hospital. The other four people who were shot are expected to survive, including the man who was taken by medical helicopter to a Boston hospital with life-threatening injuries.
Lynn police responded to the area of 134 Fayette Street around 10 p.m. for a report of shots fired.
One of the victim's friends, Elizabeth Perez, says she and her friends had gathered outside a home there to celebrate the Fourth of July holiday.
“We were just having a great time,” Perez said.
Perez says she left the gathering around 10 p.m. and seconds later heard what she thought were fireworks.
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But she had actually heard gunshots.
"I was around the corner and all of a sudden it was chaos. Everybody was on the floor," she recalled.
Perez says she looked back and saw everyone on the ground on Fayette Street, including her friend Hernandez, the 35-year-old father who died at a local hospital.
On Sunday, candles and flowers marked the spot where it all happened.
"He was nice to us — to all of us. A family friend,” Perez said of Hernandez.
It's still unclear who fired the shots and why, but Perez says the shooter drove by and opened fire on the crowd.
“It’s nonsense," Perez said. "It’s very sad.”
No arrests have been made. The Essex District Attorney’s Office, the Essex State Police Detective Unit and Lynn police are investigating.
