On the evening of March 4, 2019, a Black/African American man named Haki Sanders, 33, was shot and killed in his home on Petipas Lane in Randolph, Massachusetts. The incident was not a random act of violence, as the man suspected of the crime was known to Sanders. Authorities identified 32-year-old Justin Gaston of Brockton and Randolph as the alleged shooter.
Following the shooting, Gaston fled the scene, sparking a manhunt that lasted nearly 24 hours.
He was considered armed and dangerous by law enforcement. The search involved multiple police departments, including the Randolph Police, Massachusetts State Police detectives, and the State Police STOP Team. Their coordinated efforts led them to a residence in Lynn, where Gaston was located and taken into custody without incident on the afternoon of March 5, 2019.
Investigations revealed that Gaston and Sanders had a long history, having grown up together in Dorchester. At the time of the shooting, Gaston had been living in the same Randolph home with Sanders and Gaston's mother. Court documents indicated that the argument leading to the fatal shooting stemmed from Gaston's resentment toward Sanders. Gaston reportedly blamed Sanders and his own mother for his involuntary commitment to a mental health facility in December of the previous year. According to Gaston's mother, who was present in the house, she heard Sanders ask, "You have a gun? You're going to shoot me?" before she fled the room to call 911. While on the phone with dispatchers, she heard the sound of gunshots.
Justin Gaston was subsequently arrested and charged with murder. He was arraigned in Quincy District Court, where he pleaded not guilty and was ordered to be held without bail. The friendship between the two men was reportedly so close that Sanders was the godfather to Gaston's children, making the violent end to their relationship all the more tragic.
