Lawrence vigil held for DPW worker killed while on the job

LAWRENCE — Dozens of people in Lawrence came together Friday night to honor the life of a Department of Public Works employee who was killed while on the job.

Police say he was shot in broad daylight while filling potholes on the street, and that he was not the intended target.

His killer is still out there.

It was an intimate gathering on Friday night for those who braved freezing temperatures to pay their respects.

One speaker said very pointedly that no one should go to work in the morning and not be able to come home.

Fourteen-degree weather didn’t stop them.

They came bundled up to pray, and to console one another after 52-year-old Marcos Ruiz Rodriguez went out to do his job and never came home.

Steven King, a local crossing guard, says he was there when the shooting happened.

“I think everybody’s life is important. Nobody should have their life taken away for no reason,” King said.

Ruiz Rodriguez was filling potholes Wednesday in broad daylight when police say he was gunned down by a shooter who intended to hit someone else.

“I tried to tell the other workers to keep pressure on the wound to keep blood in. But I could tell by the look in his eyes that his time was running low,” King said.

Family, friends and coworkers shed tears and huddled together by candlelight, telling Boston 25 that they’ll miss Ruiz Rodriguez’s smile.

The group “Lawrence Against Violence” who hosted the vigil, added that what they consider to be rampant violence in the community must stop.

“I believe in getting mentors for these kids, people they can look up to, role models, so they can know that we can be successful people without being violent,” said Angel Ace Vasquez, organizer of Lawrence Against Violence.

Police have not yet been able to make any arrests in this case.

They’re still asking for anyone with any information to come forward.

READ: Lawrence DPW worker shot, killed on the job was not the intended target, officials say

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