On June 5, 2017, 18-year-old Brad Lourenco was shot in the back of the head in Roberto Clemente Park near South First Street and Blackmer Street in New Bedford, Massachusetts. First responders found Lourenco about 2:30 p.m.; he was taken to a Rhode Island hospital and died later that evening. Lourenco, a White/Caucasian aspiring rapper known as Young Bank$, had been arrested twice in the 24 hours before the shooting.

Police tied the killing to a violent feud between rival street gangs and believe the shooting was retaliation related to a recent non-fatal shooting of a suspect’s half-brother. Shortly after the shooting two men, Ivan Fontanez Jr., 20, and Keeland Rose, 23, were detained nearby after a witness followed them and alerted a clerk to call 911. Both were initially charged with assault and weapons offenses, which were later upgraded to murder.

Brad’s uncle described him as smart, creative, and energetic, a recent high school graduate whose future was cut short. If anyone knew Brad or has information about the shooting, please come forward.