On a warm August evening in Waterbury, Connecticut, 59-year-old Helena Vargas was helping her sister by delivering food for the family's restaurant, the Golden Wok. A resident of Waterbury for three decades, the Hispanic mother and grandmother was known for her infectious smile and willingness to help anyone in need. On that night, August 23, 2016, she was accompanied by her co-worker, Rolando Alvarez, a common practice for nighttime deliveries.
Their final delivery took them to Linden
Street, where a group of teenagers had allegedly placed an order with the intention of robbing the delivery drivers. When Alvarez got out of the car to make the delivery, he was ambushed. As one assailant robbed him, another approached the passenger side of the vehicle where Vargas was seated. Alvarez recalled hearing her scream "Papi!" followed by the sound of two gunshots. Vargas had been shot in the neck. She was rushed to a nearby hospital where she succumbed to her injuries.
The investigation into the violent robbery and murder moved swiftly. The day after the shooting, Waterbury police arrested four teenagers. The suspects were identified as 19-year-old Anthony Wright, a 16-year-old boy, and two juvenile girls aged 16 and 17. All four were charged with felony murder, first-degree robbery, and conspiracy to commit first-degree robbery. Prosecutors identified Wright as a known member of the "Crips" gang and described the crime as an "extremely vicious and unnecessary robbery." In November 2018, one of the teens, Niyomi Schofield, who was 16 at the time of the murder, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit first-degree robbery.
The tragic event also brought to light issues with the city's 911 dispatch system. The dispatcher who took Rolando Alvarez's frantic call following the shooting was later fired for her inappropriate handling of the emergency. Alvarez's native language is not English, and the dispatcher reportedly struggled to understand him during the life-and-death situation.
