Brockton law enforcement gave an update on the fatal shooting of two teens at the Westgate Mall on Saturday, identifying the two young victims and a suspect they say is “armed and dangerous.”
“Investigators developed information and sought and obtained an arrest warrant for 22-year-old Davinci Leonard,” said Plymouth County DA Tim Cruz at a press conference Monday, showing a photo of Leonard. “Leonard is believed to have fled the scene from the Westgate Mall on Saturday, grabbed some clothes, and has not been seen since.”
Leonard is being charged with murder, Cruz said.
The suspect is considered “armed and dangerous,” Cruz said, and should not be approached. The DA directed anyone who sees Leonard or has information to contact the State Police Fusion Center at 1-800-Kapture.
The victims of Saturday’s tragic shooting were identified as 15-year-old Tymari Albertson and 18-year-old Cevannah Alvarez, Cruz said. They are not related, the DA noted.
At about 7:04 p.m., the DA said, Brockton Police received a 911 call reporting a shooting on the sidewalk outside of the Chipotle at Westgate Mall. First responders at the scene found two victims suffering from gunshot wounds, and both were transported to Good Samaritan Hospital, where Albertson was pronounced deceased. Alvarez was med-flighted to Massachusetts General Hospital, where she too succumbed to her injuries.
Brockton and Massachusetts State Police “conducted dozens of witness interviews, reviewed numerous different videos and surveillance footage, did extensive canvas of the scene,” Cruz said.
The investigation is ongoing, Cruz said, and it appears from early evidence “an altercation occurred in the parking lot between Leonard and the victim, Albertson, prior to the fatal shooting.”
Cruz said it is not yet clear whether Alvarez was involved in the altercation or just “physically near” the two at the time of the event. The cause of the fight is under investigation, the DA said, and the gun has not yet been recovered.
The DA encouraged Leonard to “turn yourself in immediately, and let the process begin.”
The warrant on Leonard charges him with two counts of murder, and one count each of carrying a loaded firearm and carrying a loaded firearm without a license.
“The event that Saturday night was a tragedy,” said Cruz said. “Two young people lost their lives on Saturday night, and our hearts go out to their families. This is a senseless loss of life, and one death via gun violence is too many.”
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