WORCESTER — Two new suspects have been arrested in connection with the fatal shooting at Worcester State University on Oct. 28, that left a 19-year-old dead and a 21-year-old paralyzed.
Richard Nieves, 19, of Spencer, and Kenneth Doelter, 20, of Southbridge, were both charged with aggravated kidnapping and armed robbery for stealing from the 21-year-old victim before he was shot, Worcester County District Attorney Joseph D. Early, Jr. announced in a press release Thursday. Nieves, who is accused of shooting the second victim, was also indicted on charges of armed assault with intent to murder, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon causing serious bodily injury, discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a dwelling, possession of a loaded firearm not at home or work and possession of a firearm not at home or work. Both men will be arraigned in Worcester Superior Court on a future date, the Worcester District Attorney’s Office said.
The 21-year-old man is the second, surviving victim of the shooting. His name has not been released, but Early’s latest release has confirmed that he was paralyzed from the waist down.
The other victim, Randy Armando Melendez Jr., 19, of Southbridge, was fatally shot. Kevin Rodriguez, 18, of Lawrence was indicted by a Worcester County Grand Jury on Wednesday for Melendez’s murder. He will be arraigned on Jan. 12, 2024, in Worcester Superior Court on charges of murder, possession of a loaded firearm not at home or work, and possession of a firearm not at home or work.
More: Suspect in Worcester State University shooting apprehended
Following a report of a fight in a campus parking lot at around 2:30 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 28, Worcester State University Police responded to the scene, where they found two individuals with gunshot wounds.
Both victims were taken to UMass Medical Center, where a 19-year-old man – later identified as Randy Armando Melendez Jr. – was pronounced dead and a 21-year-old man underwent emergency surgery. The 21-year-old man survived, but was left paralyzed from the waist down.
More: Fatal shooting at Worcester State University leaves one dead, another injured
Officials say the shootings took place between two groups of people who were visiting the university campus. None of the individuals involved in the incident were students of the university.
