The new year had barely begun in Fall River, Massachusetts, when violence shattered the early morning hours of January 1, 2015. Kyle Brady, a 28-year-old White/Caucasian male, was shot and killed at the intersection of Albert and Huard streets. When police arrived at approximately 1:17 a.m., they found Brady, who was pronounced dead at the scene. The incident was the culmination of a long-standing feud between Brady and another man.
The conflict centered around a woman who was the mother
of Jeffrey Souza's children and was dating Brady at the time. For months leading up to the shooting, there had been animosity and threatening messages exchanged between the two men. On New Year's Eve, the feud escalated when Souza and Brady agreed to meet to fight.
In the ensuing confrontation, Souza shot Brady. According to a police report, Brady’s sister was present and witnessed the shooting. She told officers that she saw Souza with a gun and then saw her brother clutching his chest, saying he had been shot.
Following the shooting, Jeffrey Souza, then 24, fled to Newport, Rhode Island. He was arrested there without incident before noon on New Year's Day. Initially, Souza was charged with carrying an illegal firearm. He was later charged with murder. At trial, Souza’s defense team argued that he acted in self-defense. However, a jury ultimately convicted him of murder in the second degree, as well as assault and battery by discharge of a firearm. Some of his firearms convictions were later vacated on appeal.
