WORCESTER ― Police have issued an arrest warrant against a Worcester man, Dejan D. Belnavis, in connection with the fatal shooting of a mother and her daughter Tuesday inside an SUV on Englewood Avenue, and have separately arrested another man in connection with the shooting.
The police identified the victims as Chasity Nunez and her 11-year-old daughter, Zella Nunez. Zella attended Worcester schools.
Belnavis, 27, whom court papers list as living on Toronita Avenue, is charged with armed assault with intent to murder and carrying a firearm without a license, court papers show.
More: Worcester police: Englewood Avenue shooting victims were mother and daughter
Police allege in court papers that Belnavis is one of two people surveillance video shows opening fire on the SUV a little after 3 p.m. on Tuesday.
Worcester police spokesman Lt. Sean Murtha confirmed Wednesday night that another man has been arrested in connection with the homicide. Details regarding the second arrest were not immediately available.
Police wrote in court documents seeking a warrant for Belnavis that the surveillance video shows “the victims parked in their vehicle and that two people walk up to the vehicle and start shooting.”
They said the shooters then ran in the direction where a witness said a white sedan was parked. Surveillance video, police said, showed a vehicle “consistent” with the sedan circling the area before the shooting, and leaving the area afterward.
Police were able to track the sedan to its owner, who told them Belnavis had borrowed it for about a year. Belnavis was listed as the driver of the car following a Shrewsbury crash in January, they said, and his cellphone records tie him to Englewood Avenue at the time of the shooting.
“Realizing the need to locate this vehicle after the murder of two people and the danger presented to the public, we used the vehicle’s connected car system, through AT&T and we were able to locate the vehicle in Hartford, Connecticut,” police wrote, adding they learned Belnavis had a relative close to where the vehicle was parked in Hartford.
Police said Belnavis does not have a license to carry, and “does have prior firearm charges in 2021.”
Worcester officials, including the police chief, mayor, city manager and superintendent of schools, released a statement Wednesday saying violence has no place in the city.
“Worcester is a resilient community, and we know that our residents will lovingly embrace the victims’ family and friends as we work toward healing from this traumatic event,” the statement read, in part.
In a statement Wednesday evening, City Council Vice Chairman Khrystian E. King offered condolences for family members and school-aged peers.
“To family, friends, loved ones, and to our larger community, please know that we reel with the direct and indirect impacts of these fatalities altogether,” he wrote.
“Those responsible for these depraved killings must be brought to justice, in full cooperation with local law enforcement.”
Asked about the final comment Wednesday night, King told the T&G he is concerned more violence could follow.
King said he had met both Chasity and Zella Nunez through a family member of theirs with whom he is friends, and has reached out to offer condolences.
“Chasity and Zella were beloved. They were from well-known families,” he said. “There’s a lot of pain in the city right now. It’s certainly a dark moment in the city.
“Words really can’t express or convey the sorrow, and how this has impacted so many people.”
Amanda Smith is a dedicated U.S. correspondent with a passion for uncovering the stories that shape the nation. With a background in political science, she provides in-depth analysis and insightful commentary on domestic affairs, ensuring readers are well-informed about the latest developments across the United States.
