A dispute over housing culminated in a tragic series of events on a Friday evening in Staten Island, leaving a young woman dead and a family torn apart by violence. Claritle Christina Huerta, a 28-year-old female, was fatally shot inside her home. The gunman was identified as Heriberto Pagan, the 86-year-old grandfather of her fiancé, Michael Feliciano.
The couple's four-month-old infant was also in the house at the time of the shooting but was thankfully unharmed.
The conflict reportedly stemmed from eviction proceedings that had been initiated against Feliciano and Huerta. Pagan, allegedly angered by the slow pace of this process, took matters into his own hands. On the evening of the incident, Huerta contacted her fiancé to warn him that his grandfather had arrived at their home in a furious state and was demanding to speak with him. This conversation would be one of their last.
Shortly after the phone call, as Michael Feliciano approached his Virginia Avenue residence, he was met by his grandfather. Pagan shot his 47-year-old grandson in the head. Inside the home, he had already shot Claritle Christina Huerta, who was also struck in the head. After the shootings, Pagan fled the immediate scene in his car, driving a short distance to Clifton Avenue where he then turned the gun on himself, ending his own life.
When police and emergency responders arrived at the scene, they found a chaotic and heartbreaking situation. Claritle Christina Huerta was rushed to Staten Island University Hospital North, but she succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced dead. Her fiancé, Michael Feliciano, was critically injured but ultimately survived the shooting. Heriberto Pagan was found beside his vehicle with a self-inflicted gunshot wound and was taken to Richmond University Medical Center, where he died. Due to his death, Heriberto Pagan was never arrested or stood trial for the murder of Claritle Christina Huerta.
