Second woman arrested in connection with deadly Taunton house party shooting

A second person is facing charges in connection with a shooting at a weekend house party in Taunton that left a man dead and seven others injured is expected to face a judge on Thursday.

Malkiah Cunningham, 25, of New Bedford, has been arrested and charged with one count of murder and seven counts of armed assault with intent to murder for her alleged role in the shooting.

Cunningham is the second woman arrested in connection with the deadly shooting. Sienna Barboza, 25 and also of New Bedford, was arrested on the same charges and appeared in Taunton District Court on Thursday.

Officers responding to multiple 911 calls for shots fired at 261 Weir Street just after 12:30 a.m. found multiple partygoers, including eight people in their early 20s who had been shot, Quinn’s office said.

All of the victims were rushed to local hospitals, including 22-year-old Zirovick Depina of Brockton, who was later pronounced dead.

A 23-year-old man, whose name hasn’t been released, was also shot in the abdomen and paralyzed from the waist down, prosecutors said Thursday.

Authorities said the home where the shooting occurred abuts railroad tracks, with a fence, privacy screen, and bushes separating the tracks from the backyard gathering.

Massachusetts State Police and Taunton detectives recovered 14 spent 9mm shell casings from the railroad tracks behind the home, according to prosecutors.

“From the position of where the shots were fired, the shooter would not have been able to see into the backyard,” a prosecutor told the court. “All 14 shots were fired indiscriminately into the crowd of people.”

Investigators used surveillance video to identify a black SUV seen about a block from the shooting scene. Prosecutors said the footage showed two individuals walking to and from the area where the shots were fired.

Prosecutors said Barboza initially told investigators she was at her New Bedford apartment with her children all night when the shooting occurred. However, authorities said cellphone data placed her in the area when the gunfire erupted.

According to prosecutors, cellphone evidence showed searches for directions to the Weir Street address before the shooting. Surveillance video allegedly showed Barboza’s vehicle driving past the scene and around the block before stopping near the railroad tracks. Two people then exited the vehicle, prosecutors said.

After the shooting, the pair returned to the SUV, and Barboza drove them back to New Bedford, according to prosecutors. Surveillance video allegedly showed all three entering her apartment. Investigators also said she was seen disposing of trash bags the following day.

Barboza is scheduled to return to court on Oct. 7 for a probable cause hearing.

Cunningham is expected to appear in Taunton District Court on Friday morning.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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