Suspect In Death Of Springfield Mother, Infant Arrested In Puerto Rico

HARTFORD, CT — A man accused of killing a 20-year-old mother and her 4-month-old son in a drive-by shooting has been arrested in Puerto Rico, authorities said.

Lance Morales, 23, of Waterbury, was taken into custody Saturday by the U.S. Marshals Violent Fugitive Task Force, four days after the Hartford shooting that killed Jessiah Mercado and her son, Messiah Diaz, police said in a news release.

According to authorities, police were called to Hartford Hospital shortly before 3 p.m. Tuesday after a car arrived carrying three people suffering from gunshot wounds. Mercado and Diaz, both of Springfield, were pronounced dead at the hospital. A third person, a man in his twenties, was also injured, police said.

Investigators determined that before arriving at the hospital, the victims were in a car near 380 New Britain Ave. when another vehicle pulled alongside it and opened fire.

A warrant for Morales' arrest was issued shortly after the shooting. He has been charged with two counts of murder, assault and criminal possession of a firearm. He is currently awaiting extradition and is being held on a $3 million bond.