Man Arrested In California In Connection With East Boston Murder

BOSTON, MA — A man has been arrested in California in connection with a fatal shooting that occurred in Boston earlier this year, according to the Boston Police Department.

Hamilton Mejia-Lainez, 24, of East Boston, was arrested by members of the U.S. Marshals Service in Los Angeles on Wednesday, Nov. 11, in connection with the August shooting death of 21-year-old Joseph Gabriel Lucas Gomez.

The charge stems from an incident that occurred on Sunday, Aug. 2, when officers responded to a report of a person shot near 464 Meridian St. at approximately 1:25 a.m.

Upon arrival, officers located Gomez suffering from gunshot wounds. He was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Boston Police initially announced the incident as a death investigation without identifying the victim. The department publicly identified Gomez two days later as homicide detectives continued investigating the shooting.

Mejia-Lainez was taken into custody more than three months after the incident. Authorities have not announced when he will be returned to Massachusetts to face the murder charge.

Police have not released additional information about the circumstances surrounding the shooting, a possible motive, the relationship between Mejia-Lainez and Gomez, or what led investigators to identify him as a suspect.

Mejia-Lainez is expected to be arraigned in East Boston District Court on a murder charge.

The Boston Police Homicide Unit is continuing to investigate the incident. Anyone with information is asked to contact homicide detectives at 617-343-4470.

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