LAWRENCE, Mass. — DPW workers in Lawrence said their final goodbyes Thursday to Marcos Ruiz Rodriguez, their beloved co-worker who was shot to death in broad daylight while making road repairs.
Hundreds of Public Works employees across Massachusetts and beyond came to pay their respects to Ruiz as he was laid to rest.
“I’ve stopped being surprised at the overwhelming support we get when anything bad happens in our city. For the first time in a very long time, people are cheering for us,” said Lawrence Mayor Dan Rivera.
Investigators haven’t made any arrests yet in the case but did say Ruiz was not the intended target.
Regardless, his fellow DPW workers are upset it happened at all. “Getting shot at... that’s crazy,” said Sam Pappalardo, North Andover DPW.
Although some say they are used to other kinds of abuse.
“It would be very important if people could just slow down a little bit, give us a little bit of room so we could do our jobs,” said Derek Desroche, North Andover DPW.
Ruiz is originally from Puerto Rico and some of his family still lives here. Aside from his wife, daughter, and son, he leaves behind five sisters and three brothers.
The DA says the shooting is still under investigation.
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