Mass. man kills neighbor and her 10-year-old granddaughter before shooting himself
08/18/2023 1:42 pm PDT
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (TCD) -- Three people, including the suspect, are dead and one child is injured after a 34-year-old man opened fire on an "unsuspecting family" and then killed himself.
According to the Hampden County District Attorney’s Office, on Monday, Aug. 14, at 2:40 p.m., Springfield Police Department officers were called to 174 Berkshire Ave. after receiving a report about shots fired. When they arrived, they found Victor Nieves, Kim Fairbanks, and a dog deceased on the first floor of an apartment building. When officers continued to look through the home, they found a 12-year-old, 10-year-old, and 5-year-old in a bedroom.
The 12-year-old and 10-year-old sustained gunshot wounds, and the 5-year-old was not injured. Medics rushed the children to Baystate Medical Center and even blocked off streets so the ambulance could get to the hospital faster. The 10-year-old was airlifted to Boston Children’s Hospital. The 12-year-old remains in stable condition at Baystate.
On Thursday, Aug. 17, the 10-year-old’s mother announced the girl, Aubrianna Serra, had died.
Stephanie Croteau wrote on Facebook, "At 12:56pm, my princess Aubrianna Lynn’s heart stopped beating. It was peaceful, she was not in any pain. She was surrounded by her family. My whole heart has been completely ripped out of my chest. It’s shattered. It hurts. The pain I feel is unbearable."
She continued, "You were the lightness to everyone’s darkness. You always were able to put a smile on everyone’s face. My baby. My love. My little Nani. You came into this world fight and you left this world fighting. There’s nothing I really have to say because I am just so heartbroken and I am so speechless. I never imagined I would have had to bury one of my children."
The Hampden County District Attorney’s Office said Nieves lived on the second floor of the apartment building. Homicide detectives believe Nieves "forcibly entered through his neighbor’s front door and began shooting at the occupants before turning the gun on himself and committing suicide."
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