WORCESTER, MA – A shocking episode of gun violence claimed the lives of a Massachusetts woman and her young daughter on Tuesday afternoon. Chasity Nuñez, along with her 11-year-old daughter Zella, were fatally shot inside their vehicle on a quiet Worcester street.
Worcester police revealed the incident occurred around 3 p.m. near the intersection of Englewood Avenue and Lisbon Street in the city’s Columbus Park neighborhood. The victims were discovered gravely wounded in their vehicle, parked along Englewood Avenue.
The officers extricated the mother and daughter from the vehicle, and they were swiftly transported to a local hospital. However, their injuries proved fatal.
Public records divulge that both mother and daughter were Worcester residents, and Zella attended a school within the Worcester Public Schools system. City officials issued a joint statement condemning the act of violence and assured town residents of their support and solidarity.
Evidence markers at the scene indicated the exceptional violence of the crime, which left more than three dozen imprints on the roadway. Worcester police Lt. Sean Murtha described the incident as “unusual” and “awful” for the largely quiet, family-oriented neighborhood.
Local residents echoed the sentiment, expressing their disbelief and horror at the sudden intrusion of violence in their ordinarily peaceful community. An active worry shared by neighbors was the sound of erupting gunshots.
The victims’ vehicle, a gray Nissan SUV parked on Englewood Avenue, bore clear signs of the assault with multiple bullet impacts on the driver’s side windshield, door, and window. As authorities continue to investigate, no arrests have been reported so far in relation to the incident.