In the early morning hours of June 23, 2018, the life of Romel Danis, a 25-year-old male resident of Lynn, Massachusetts, was tragically cut short. Born in Cayenne, French Guiana, Danis had moved to Lynn from the Dominican Republic at the age of three. He was known as a hardworking man, employed daily at a local convenience store, who had graduated from Lynn Vocational Technical Institute with plans to study graphic design at North Shore Community College in the fall. Family members described him as someone who, due to his long work hours, had little time to socialize and did not have problems with anyone.
On that fateful Saturday, around 2 a.m., Danis was walking with friends after leaving a party on Lawton Avenue. At that very moment, Lynn Police were already in the vicinity responding to a complaint about loud music from the same party. Suddenly, gunfire erupted. Danis and his two friends were targeted in a triple shooting. The incident was captured on a neighbor's home surveillance camera, showing two individuals firing their weapons before fleeing the scene. When officers arrived, they found Danis, who had been struck by a bullet as he tried to get into his car. He was pronounced dead at the scene. His two companions, a 22-year-old and a 23-year-old, were also shot and rushed to Massachusetts General Hospital with serious injuries, which they ultimately survived.
The investigation into the homicide led police to two suspects. Victor Figueroa-Flores, who was 18 at the time, was arrested and charged with murder. A second suspect, 16-year-old Nathaniel Pagan, who had reportedly fled to New York, was also apprehended and charged with first-degree murder. Both pleaded not guilty. The subsequent legal proceedings revealed the senseless nature of the crime. Prosecutors presented evidence showing that Figueroa-Flores and Pagan had laid in wait for their victims, targeting them in a case of mistaken identity. They had wrongly believed Danis and his friends were members of the rival Trinitario gang.
In October 2022, the case came to a close. Nathaniel Pagan pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 20 years. Following an eight-day trial, a jury found Victor Figueroa-Flores guilty of first-degree murder and two counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, bringing a measure of justice to the family of Romel Danis.
