Man dies from injuries suffered in Worcester shooting that also claimed life of woman, police say

WORCESTER, Mass. — A man has died from the injuries he suffered in a double shooting at an apartment building in Worcester on Thursday that also claimed the life of a woman, police announced Friday.

Officers responding to reports of a possible shooting on Brookside Avenue just before 6:30 p.m. found a woman and man suffering from apparent gunshot wounds inside a unit at the Tatnuck Square apartments, according to the Worcester Police Department.

The woman was pronounced dead at the scene. The man was rushed to the hospital for treatment, where he later passed away. Their names haven’t been released, but both victims are related to each other, and both lived in the apartment.

David Blighton lives on the first floor, he tells me he heard gunfire.

“Well, I thought it was something been lifted and dropped. It was bam bam bam like gunshots,” Blighton said.

Another resident who did not want to be identified, told me the early evening double fatal shooting is unnerving.

“So close to us. Any one of us could have been hit, by a lost bullet or something like that. It’s really scary,” she said.

Video captured by a Boston 25 News photographer showed a man in handcuffs being loaded into the back of a Worcester police van, but investigators later said the individual was not connected to the shooting.

No arrests have been made as detectives work to determine what led up to the shooting.

Jose Rivera lives at the apartment complex and saw first responders swarm the building on Thursday night.

“I just saw a bunch of commotion, ambulances, and police cars, they were actually here all night until this morning,” Rivera recalled Friday morning.

Rivera said tenants were not allowed in the building for a period of time during the initial phase of the investigation.

“Nobody knew what was going on, so people were desperate to find out if their family members were OK, but yeah, it’s just been chaos since about 7 p.m. last night,” Rivera explained.

Rivera, unsettled by the shooting, added, “These are supposed to be, you know apartments, where ‘so-called’ nothing really happens. And nothing really has happened for a year and a half that I’ve been here. But it’s terrifying. You know, Worcester lately, has a lot of stuff that’s happened in the area so yeah it’s terrifying.”

Police are not talking about potential suspects, they are only saying it’s likely that this double murder was not a random act.

“Often in these cases, people know each other. And there’s a specific targeting that happens most of the time,” Worcester Police Lt. Sean Murtha said. “I wouldn’t say other people should generally be concerned.”

Anyone with information is urged to contact Worcester police at 508-799-8651.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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