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Suspect in custody, victim identified after fatal shooting in Methuen

METHUEN, Mass. — Methuen Police say a suspect is in custody after a 30-year-old man was shot during an altercation inside a hookah shop early Friday morning.

The shooting happened around 3 a.m. at 170 Broadway Street near Oakland Ave., when the shop was supposed to be closed. Police said that the shooting is related to that specific location.

Methuen Police Chief Joseph Solomon said several shots were fired and the incident was considered a random act.

The victim, identified as 30-year-old Lawrence native Kelvin Frias, was found at the scene suffering from a gunshot wound to the head. He was transported to a Boston hospital, where he was pronounced dead Saturday morning.

Essex District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett said Saturday that 24-year-old Remy Salazar, the suspect in the shooting, was tracked to a residence in Nashua, New Hampshire and successfully arrested on unrelated outstanding warrants Friday afternoon.

The Essex State Police Detective Unit and Methuen Police then obtained an arrest warrant Saturday afternoon charing Salazar with murder.

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"I commend the excellent teamwork among the Mass State Police assets and the Methuen and Nashua, NH police that resulted in the suspect's apprehension without further incident thus eliminating the threat to the public’s safety." Solomon said.

Salazar will appear in Nashua District Court Monday morning on the outstanding warrants and on a fugitive from justice charge, and it will not be known when he will return to Massachusetts to face the murder charge until after the arraignment in New Hampshire.