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Police responded to a report of a disturbance at a house party at 5 Royal Street, Apartment 3 around 3:00 a.m. on Sunday, April 30, and found six gunshot victims, according to Essex County District Attorney Paul F. Tucker.
All six of the gunshot victims were transported to Lawrence General Hospital.
Desiderio Arias, 18, of Boxford Street, Lawrence, was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Arias was the son of Eddy Chavez, the former trustee of the municipal district of Canela in the Dominican Republic, according to a Facebook post shared by the Ayuntamiento De La Canela.
Two other victims were flown by medical helicopter to Boston hospitals for additional treatment. The survivors’ conditions are not currently available.
Two of the victims were arrested on gun charges amid the investigation into the shooting on Monday, May 1, according to an updated statement from the Essex County District Attorney.
Saul Enrique Morales Espinosa, 22, of Lawrence, and Joshual Ramirez, 20, also of Lawrence, were both charged with two felony counts: carrying a firearm without a license, and carrying a loaded firearm.
Espinosa was one of the victims airlifted to a Boston hospital. He and Ramirez, who was taken to Lawrence General Hospital, are both still hospitalized for their gunshot wounds.
Espinosa and Ramirez both pleaded not guilty in remote arraignments held on Monday with Lawrence District Court Judge Stephen Geary. The two men are held without bail pending a dangerousness hearing on May 9.
The shooting was not "a random act of violence," police believe after an initial investigation.
The shootings are under a "very active investigation" by the Essex County District Attorney’s Office State Police Detective Unit and detectives from the Lawrence Police Department.
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