In the early hours of April 29, 2022, the life of 36-year-old Luis Antonio Miranda Jr. was cut short in a fatal shooting on Weld Street in New Bedford, Massachusetts. At approximately 1:01 a.m., the sound of gunfire prompted a ShotSpotter activation, leading New Bedford Police to the area of 193 Weld Street. There, they discovered Miranda as the sole occupant of a Chrysler Sebring, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.
Despite the immediate response from first responders, he was pronounced deceased at the scene by paramedics.
The investigation into the death of the male victim quickly launched, involving Massachusetts State Police detectives assigned to the Bristol County District Attorney's Office, New Bedford Police detectives, and prosecutors from the Homicide Unit. This collaborative effort led to the apprehension of two suspects in May 2022. Jonathan Medina Perez, 41, of Fall River, was arrested and charged with murder and two counts of armed assault with intent to murder. Another man, 33-year-old Jonsthan Goncalves of New Bedford, was also taken into custody and faced charges of accessory to murder before the fact and accessory to murder after the fact.
Prosecutors stated that the shooting was a targeted and planned attack. They revealed that the gunshots were fired from a rented 2022 Honda CRV, which had been rented by Perez. It was alleged that both Perez and Goncalves met at a hotel in Somerset before and after the shooting. Following their arrests, both men were arraigned in New Bedford District Court and held without bail. Luis Antonio Miranda Jr. was remembered as a likable and outgoing man who worked in the construction industry and treasured time with his family, especially his young son.
