Jovanni L. Perez, an 18-year-old Black male, was killed on Saturday, October 14, 2023, in a shooting in Fall River, Massachusetts. Known to his family as "Jo" and "JoJo," and to his friends as "Gio," he was described as a quiet, sensitive, and gentle soul with a contagious laugh and a gorgeous smile. Perez, who was a resident of both Fall River and East Weymouth, was a loving father to two children, Xhyivhon and Xyi-Lahna.
On that Saturday afternoon, at approximately 12:18 p.m., Fall
River Police responded to reports of a male gunshot victim in the area of 253 Locust Street. Upon arrival, first responders discovered Perez suffering from multiple gunshot wounds to his upper body. He was quickly transported to Charlton Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced deceased at 1:41 p.m.
The investigation into the death of Jovanni Perez was conducted by Massachusetts State Police detectives assigned to the Bristol County District Attorney's Office, along with Fall River Police and Homicide Unit prosecutors. This led to the arrest of 17-year-old Antwyne Robinson of Fall River, who was taken into custody and charged with murder. Robinson was arraigned and ordered to be held without bail. Law enforcement officials indicated that the homicide might be connected to other shooting incidents that occurred in the city around the same time, describing them as targeted acts of violence between specific individuals.
