A Massachusetts basketball star who helped his high school win a state championship was shot to death days before his first game as a college freshman — and a suspect has been arrested in the killing, which officials say appears to be random.
Salem State University freshman Carl-Hens Beliard, 18, was found with gunshot wounds in a vehicle at about 1:30 a.m. Wednesday, officials said. He was rushed to Salem Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
“This does not appear to be a random act of violence or there is any ongoing threat to the SSU community,” Salem police said.
That night, Essex County District Attorney Paul Tucker’s office announced that Missael Pena Canela, also 18, of Salem, had been arrested on murder charges, the Boston Globe reported.
Carl-Hens Beliard, 18, a freshman basketball player at Salem State University, was shot to death in a car.AP
Details on how he was identified as a suspect have not been released.
“This senseless act of gun violence is tragic not only for the victims’ families but for the SSU community and beyond,” Tucker said in a statement.
University President John Keenan expressed his grief over the senseless death, which came as revelers filled the city for Halloween — and days before Beliard played its first college hoops game.
“As the president of Salem State and the father of the college, this tragedy is heartbreaking for everyone in our community and every parent’s worst nightmare,” he said in a statement.
Carl-Hens Beliard was a member of the Worcester North High School varsity boys basketball team, which won the Division 1 State Championship. WORCESTER PUBLIC SCHOOLS
The shooting happened across a parking lot near the school’s athletic facility, the Boston Globe reported.
“He was a good kid,” Beliard’s mother, Altagrace Beliard, told WHDH.
He said basketball has been his passion since he was just 2 years old and he dreamed of becoming a star.
“He never gave up. No matter how difficult it is, he still pushes himself,” said the grieving mother.
Beliard was found with gunshot wounds in the car.CBS Boston
Belliard, a forward on the boys basketball team, was a member of the Worcester North High School varsity boys basketball team, which was honored in May by Worcester Mayor Joseph Pettey for winning the Division 1 State Championship.
The team defeated Needham 73-64 in March to claim the title after a 24-2 season, according to the Worcester Telegram & Gazette.
Beliard, the team’s only senior, said at the rally celebrating the victory that the championship felt “like a dream come true.”
“Since I started playing basketball, I always wanted to win championships. It’s an incredible feeling,” he told Telegram. “We have a lot of chemistry in the team and that’s what we’ve achieved so far, that’s why we’re here now.
“We hang out outside of basketball. We all play basketball. It’s really like a brotherhood,” he added.
The 6-foot-5 forward told the paper he plans to study exercise science in college and eventually pursue a doctorate in physical therapy. He also talked about the team’s camaraderie on and off the court.
The young man also made the high school honor roll in the second quarter of his senior year, according to the Boston Globe.
The hoops star plans to study exercise science in college. High North Polar Bear / Facebook
Al Pettway, Worcester North High School dean of students and basketball coach, shared his memories of Beliard on Wednesday evening.
“He was a great kid, smart, smart student, he had a smile that would just light up any room when he would open his mouth, so we lost a very, very good one today, unfortunately,” Pettway said, according to the Globe .
“I just talked to him about a month ago, he’s excited about school, having fun, he sent me his basketball schedule so I’m excited to watch him play,” he said.
“College basketball starts soon, so I’m really excited to see him play in a uniform, and unfortunately that’s not going to happen,” Pettway added.
He said it was difficult to inform Beliard’s former teammates of his death.
“They were shocked. They thought I was talking about a different Carl. They repeated several times, ‘Which Carl?’ And I kind of insisted to them that it was our Carl,” Pettway said, WHDH reported.
Friends set up memorial for slain hoops star.CBS Boston
Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey also spoke about the loss, telling reporters that “it’s very sad. Heartbreaking.”
Salem Mayor Dominick Pangallo described the shooting as a terrible act of violence.
“Our hearts go out to the Beliard family and to the Salem State University community,” he said in a statement.
Worcester Mayor Joe Petty said he was “heartbroken to hear about the tragic loss.”
“Carl was a hardworking, kind individual whose life was taken too soon,” he wrote on Facebook.
“It is every parent’s worst nightmare to lose a child. As a father of three, I cannot imagine the pain Carl’s family is going through. My condolences and sincere wishes are with the family at this time. My heart goes out to Carl’s family, teammates and friends,” he added.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
