Men Charged in Connection to June 5 New Bedford Homicide Now Charged With Murder

Bristol County District Attorney’s Office
Thomas M. Quinn III
District Attorney

Press Release
June12, 2017

Two men charged last week in connection to the June 5th New Bedford homicide of 18-year-old Brad Lourenco have now been charged with murder and ordered held without bail pending trial, Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn announced.

Ivan Fontanez, Jr., 20, and Keeland Rose, 23,—-who were both already charged with assault and battery by discharge of a firearm, carrying an illegal firearm, carrying a loaded illegal firearm and illegal discharge of a firearm within 500 feet of a building—are now also both charged with murder.

Both defendants were arraigned today in New Bedford District Court on the new murder charge and ordered held without bail.

At around 2:30 pm on June 5th, New Bedford Police were dispatched to a park near the intersection of South First Street and Blackmer Street for a reported shooting. When first responders arrived, they located the victim and rushed him to Rhode Island Hospital where he remained in critical condition for several hours before perishing late this evening.

The active and ongoing investigation is being coordinated by Homicide Unit Prosecutors from this office and is being jointly conducted by New Bedford Police and Massachusetts State Police Detectives assigned to the district attorney’s office.

Contact:

Gregg Miliote

Director of Communications

508-997-0711

774-292-9576–cell