The suspect in the double-fatal slayings of a mother and 4-month-old son in Hartford has been captured after a nationwide search, officials said.
On Saturday, the shooting suspect, 23-year-old Lance Morales, was located by members of the US Marshalls Violent Fugitive Task Force in Puerto Rico and taken into custody, according to a news release from the Hartford Police Department. Morales is facing multiple charges, including criminal possession of a firearm, first-degree assault, first-degree criminal attempted assault, two counts of murder and murder under special circumstances.
He is being held on a $3 million bond and awaiting extradition to the United States.
The arrest comes after Hartford police officers were dispatched to Hartford Hospital on Nov. 19 after a report of multiple gunshot victims. Lt. Aaron Boisvert of the Hartford Police Department said three victims suffered from gunshot wounds, including 20-year-old Jessiah Mercado of Springfield, Massachusetts, and her four-month-old son, identified as Messias Diaz, both of whom were pronounced dead at police custody. Hopital. The third victim, a man in his 20s, suffered a non-life-threatening gunshot wound, according to Boisvert.
Police believe Morales opened fire Tuesday afternoon near 380 New Britain Ave. and shot the victims while they were in a vehicle after Morales drove alongside the vehicle and opened fire.
The Hartford Police Major Crimes and Crime Scene Unit continues to investigate.
Stephen Underwood can be reached at sunderwood@courant.com
