On a summer afternoon in New Bedford, Massachusetts, a family outing turned into a scene of deadly violence. Naurik Michel-Brown, a 23-year-old Black / African American male, was fatally shot on August 9, 2021. The tragic events unfolded in the parking lot of an auto repair shop on Ashley Boulevard. Michel-Brown, accompanied by his wife and three children, was at the location to have a vehicle serviced. An argument that began inside the business between Michel-Brown and his father-in-law, Alphanso Richards, spilled out into the parking lot and escalated with fatal consequences.
In front of his family, Michel-Brown was shot multiple times by Richards, who was 59 at the time. His wife witnessed her husband fall to the ground. In the moments that followed, Richards also fired his weapon at his own daughter as she fled to a nearby gas station to call for help. After the shooting, Richards fled the scene and the state. Naurik Michel-Brown was rushed to St. Luke's Hospital but succumbed to his injuries.
The investigation, aided by surveillance footage that captured the horrific incident, quickly identified Alphanso Richards as the perpetrator. Law enforcement agencies sent out alerts to interstate authorities, suspecting that Richards had fled Massachusetts. On October 10, 2021, nearly two months after the shooting, Virginia State Police apprehended Richards during a traffic stop on Interstate 95. The firearm used in the murder was discovered in his vehicle.
Richards was extradited back to Massachusetts, where he faced charges for the murder of his son-in-law. Initially charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, the charges were quickly upgraded to murder. In October 2024, Alphanso Richards pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and attempted assault and battery with a firearm. He was subsequently sentenced to 19 ½ years to life in state prison for the murder, with a concurrent sentence for the attack on his daughter, leaving a family forever impacted by a senseless act of violence.
