Edward Javier-Perez, 29, was fatally shot inside the Energy Lounge on Broadway in Lawrence, Massachusetts, in the early hours of Christmas Eve 2023. According to reports, a dispute erupted at about 12:20 a.m. after another man entered the nightclub; that man drew a handgun and fired a single close-range shot at Javier-Perez. He was taken to Lawrence General Hospital and pronounced dead.

Lawrence police, the Massachusetts State Police, and the Essex County District Attorney’s Office opened an immediate investigation. The Energy Lounge was temporarily closed after the shooting. Authorities later identified 27-year-old Franklin M. Laras as the suspect and issued an arrest warrant charging him with murder and firearms violations; Laras left the country and was placed on the state’s Most Wanted list as armed and dangerous. He was located in Mexico City, arrested, and extradited back to Massachusetts, where he was arraigned and pleaded not guilty in Salem Superior Court.

If anyone was at the Energy Lounge that night or has information about the confrontation that led to Edward Javier-Perez’s death, please share what is known.