lawrence

Man Charged With Murder of Lawrence DPW Employee

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An arrest has been made in last month's deadly shooting of a public works employee in Lawrence, Massachusetts.

Marcos A. Ruiz, 52, of Methuen, was performing road repairs on Andover Street in Lawrence when he was shot on the afternoon of Jan. 15. Police responded to a report of shots fired and found him suffering from a gunshot wound. He was taken to Lawrence General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The Essex County District Attorney's Office announced Friday that 20-year-old Ariel Toribio of Lawrence had been arrested and charged with murder.

Ruiz's death shocked people in the city.

"He was just filling the potholes, doing his job, and 'boom, boom, boom, boom, boom,'" witness Steven King recalled. "I told his two co-workers to press on the wounds to keep the blood in, and saying, 'Stay with me, stay with me,' and that's when all the cops started to show up."

"I heard three shots, come over to the corner of Andover street and I noticed a DPW worker laying on the ground and a car took off up the street and the next thing I know my neighbor said a city worker was on the ground," witness Robert Ansaldi added.

The street was shut down while police searched for the shooter. Families who were being escorted to their homes said the situation was chaotic.

A DPW worker was shot and killed Wednesday afternoon in Lawrence, Massachusetts, authorities said.

"Honestly it's been a mess trying to get home," neighbor Caitlyn Pellerin said. "It's sad that a man has lost his life and his family going through the grieving process."

Lawrence Mayor Daniel Rivera called Ruiz "a great employee" who had worked for the city for many years.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with his family," he said. "We will be reaching out to the family to let them know we are here for them and to support them through this tough time."

After the shooting, prosecutors said Ruiz was not the intended target.

Toribio is due to be arraigned Monday in Lawrence District Court. It was not immediately clear if he had an attorney.

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