Jesus Santos, 22, male, of Nashua, New Hampshire, was shot and killed on the night of December 30, 1987, during a two-city rampage that began in Nashua and spilled into Londonderry. Police said the gunman first entered separate apartments in Nashua and fatally shot two men—one of them Santos—before driving to an apple orchard warehouse in Londonderry, where he killed one worker and critically wounded another, then returned to Nashua and shot a fifth man who survived.
Witness accounts and early police briefings described a methodical attack in which each victim was shot once, and the sequence of shootings unfolded over roughly two hours that evening.
Investigators identified the suspect as Rafael Rodriguez, 38, of Nashua. After the final shooting, officers confronted him at a gasoline station, where, according to police, he fired twice at an officer before being shot and killed. With the suspect dead at the scene, there were no arrests in the case. Detectives said they had not established a clear motive but noted they were examining possible drug connections based on the suspect's history, while emphasizing that no drugs were found on Rodriguez or in the victims' apartments.
Santos's death was reported alongside those of the other Nashua and Londonderry victims that night, and memorial listings later recorded his name and date in the public record of gun violence fatalities. The shootings left two additional men grievously injured but alive, and the investigation effectively closed with the suspect's death, leaving unanswered questions about why the spree began.
