In the early morning hours of January 16, 2014, the sound of gunfire echoed through the area of Myrtle Street in New Bedford, Massachusetts. Responding to multiple 911 calls just after 1:00 a.m., police discovered a grim scene. There on the sidewalk, a young Black / African American man, 23-year-old Patrick Alves, lay with life-threatening gunshot wounds. He was rushed to St. Luke's Hospital, but his injuries were too severe, and he was pronounced deceased.
Investigators from the New Bedford Police Department, Massachusetts State Police, and the District Attorney's office immediately began the work of piecing together the final moments of the young man's life.
As the investigation into the death of the lifelong New Bedford resident unfolded, it was determined that his cellphone and ID were missing from the scene. This detail would soon lead to a break in the case, though not one that would bring the triggerman to justice. Later that month, on January 28, authorities arrested 27-year-old Nicholas Gonzalez of Fairhaven. He was not charged with the murder itself, but with accessory after the fact to murder and two counts of witness intimidation. Prosecutors alleged that Gonzalez had taken Alves's cellphone, initially lied about it, and then attempted to destroy the evidence by flushing it down a toilet. Fortunately, investigators were able to recover the phone.
The case saw another development in early February with the arrest of a second man. Gerron Harper, 19, of Brockton, was also charged with being an accessory after the fact. The prosecution accused Harper of disposing of a different cellphone that was allegedly used to "set up" Alves on the night he was killed. Harper was held on $25,000 cash bail following his arraignment.
Despite these arrests, the individual or individuals who shot and killed Patrick Alves have never been officially identified or charged with his murder. The case remains an unsolved homicide, leaving a family and a community searching for answers and the ultimate measure of justice. The charges against Gonzalez and Harper pointed to a conspiracy surrounding the killing, but the central mystery of who pulled the trigger and why remains locked away in the lingering quiet of that cold January night.
