In the late afternoon of May 18, 2021, the life of 29-year-old Jovaughn Antonio Mills, a Black male from Fall River, Massachusetts, was tragically cut short. Just before 4:30 p.m., the sound of gunfire erupted near Griffin Park, prompting several 911 calls to the Fall River Police. When first responders arrived at the scene on the sidewalk near the park's black fencing, they discovered a chaotic scene with multiple victims. Mills was one of two individuals found with apparent gunshot wounds.
He was rushed to Saint Anne's Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The shooting, which unfolded in broad daylight, also claimed the life of 14-year-old Miguel Sanjurjo and left a 19-year-old man wounded. The incident was immediately treated as a double homicide, launching an intensive investigation led by Fall River Police and Massachusetts State Police detectives from the Bristol County District Attorney's Office. Investigators utilized video surveillance from the area to piece together the events of that afternoon.
The investigation led to the arrests of several individuals. Jeremy Holmes, who was 18 at the time of the incident, was identified as a primary suspect. He was ultimately charged with two counts of murder, assault and battery with a firearm, and illegal firearm possession. In November 2024, a jury found Holmes guilty on two counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of Mills and Sanjurjo, as well as assault with a firearm for injuring the third victim.
Another man, Dana Mazyck, was apprehended on May 25, 2021, and faced charges related to the illegal discharge of a firearm near the scene moments after the fatal shootings. Additionally, Tajon Saxon was charged with two counts of being an accessory to murder after the fact in connection to the deaths of Mills and Sanjurjo. The trials and legal proceedings for the individuals connected to the case have continued, with Holmes's sentencing being scheduled for 2025.
