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Paul Garcia, of Dover, is charged with armed assault with intent to murder, assault and battery by discharge of a firearm, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon causing serious bodily injury, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and unlawful possession of a firearm, the Middlesex District Attorney said. He is expected to be charged with murder at his arraignment on Wednesday, July 24.
An initial investigation found that as many as 30 people had gathered at the Swaminarayan Temple on Middlesex Street on Saturday, July 20, to drink, party, and light off fireworks, the prosecutor said. A fight broke out during the festivities, and Garcia is accused of firing into a crowd of people before he ran away, the prosecutor said.
Jose Ortiz, 43, of Lowell, and two others were shot in the melee, officials said. Paramedics rushed Ortiz and another man to an area hospital, where Ortiz was later pronounced dead.
The 34-year-old man was treated and released. A 26-year-old woman drove herself to the hospital for treatment.
Police arrested Garcia at a house in Lawrence without incident.
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