On the evening of October 12, 2020, the life of 25-year-old Manuel Duarte, a Black male from Brockton, Massachusetts, was tragically cut short by gun violence. Responding to reports of gunfire in the area of 94 Belmont Avenue, Brockton police discovered Duarte suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Emergency services rushed him to a local hospital, but he succumbed to his injuries the following day, on October 13, 2020. Born in Brava, Cabo Verde, Duarte had settled in Brockton with his family. He was a father of three children.
The investigation into Manuel Duarte's death, led by Massachusetts State Police and the Brockton Police Department, soon focused on two individuals. In March 2021, a Plymouth County grand jury indicted Takari Elliot and Marvin Veiga on charges of murder and other firearm-related offenses in connection with Duarte's shooting. Shortly after the indictment, police located and arrested Elliot in Brockton. He was held without bail and initially pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The search for the second suspect, Marvin Veiga, extended beyond Massachusetts. Veiga, who was considered armed and dangerous with a history of violent crimes, remained at large for a short period. In April 2021, the pursuit of Veiga came to a deadly end in Nashville, Tennessee. He was shot and killed by a Metro Nashville Police Department officer after he reportedly advanced on the officer while brandishing two large butcher knives.
With one suspect deceased, the legal proceedings continued for Takari Elliot. In April 2023, Elliot, then 31, pleaded guilty to reduced charges of manslaughter and attempted assault and battery by discharge of a firearm. A judge sentenced him to serve three to five years in state prison, to be followed by two years of probation.
