An armed and dangerous man wanted in connection with the double fatal shooting of a mother and her 11-year-old daughter in Worcester, Massachusetts, earlier this week remains on the loose.
The mother and daughter were shot shortly after 3 p.m. Tuesday in Worcester, police said. Officers found them inside a parked SUV. They were taken to a hospital, where they were both pronounced dead, police said.
Karel Mangual, 28, of Worcester, was arrested Wednesday and charged with armed assault to murder, but police said they are still searching for 27-year-old Dejan Belnavis in connection with the killings of Chasity Nunez and her daughter, Zella Nunez.
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Police said Belnavis should be considered armed and dangerous. He is described as being about 5'11" tall and 160 pounds. He's wanted on charges of armed assault with intent to murder and possession of a firearm without a license, police said.
Worcester police, with help from the U.S. Marshal's Service and other agencies, are actively looking for Belnavis.
“We’re hoping the public helps us out here. We’re not going to stop searching for this guy," interim Police Chief Paul Saucier said in an update Friday.
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He added that this kind of violence is unusual in their city and they are determined to close the case. He added that most shootings they investigate involve repeat offenders.
“All of our violence stems from the same people. It’s time that it stops. We have to put these guys away. You know, it’s nice to give somebody another opportunity but if you’re out there shooting people, you need to be in jail," Saucier said.
According to court documents, police were called to the area of the shooting shortly after 3 p.m. Tuesday for a report of gunshots fired. A Nissan Rogue with Connecticut license plates was outside with two people inside and multiple gunshots visible.
The documents show that responding officers found the vehicle with multiple bullet holes throughout the driver's side door and multiple shell casings on the ground. Both victims were found dead inside, one in the front driver's seat and one in the front passenger's seat.
The woman in the driver's seat had "numerous gunshot wounds throughout her body" and was not breathing, according to police. The female victim in the passenger seat was also not breathing. Both were taken to an area hospital and pronounced dead.
Witnesses told police that they saw two people run after hearing the gunshots. One witness said the suspect drove off in a white sedan with Massachusetts license plates.
Police went to the address listed on the car's registration and interviewed the owner, who told them he had been letting Belnavis, his girlfriend's son, use the vehicle for about a year. Shrewsbury police had a record in their town of a motor vehicle crash in their town with a vehicle being operated by Belnavis in January. A local check showed that Belnavis also had prior firearm charges dating back to 2021.
Realizing the need to locate the vehicle due to the danger to the public, Worcester police used the vehicle's connected car system through AT&T and were able to locate the vehicle in Hartford, Connecticut. Police said Belnavis is believed to have a relative who lives near where the vehicle was parked in Hartford.
A check of Belnavis' cell phone data also showed that he was in the area of Engelwood Avenue at the time of the shooting and security video recovered from the area shows the victims parked in their SUV when two people walk up to it and start shooting. The shooters are then seen running in the direction where witnesses said the white sedan was parked. Additional security video also showed a vehicle consistent with the white sedan circling the area before the shooting and leaving the area after the shooting.
Security footage obtained from the area of Hartford where the car was found showed two males getting out of the vehicle. On the video, police said they could clearly see the Mangual's face. Both males were wearing footwear similar to what was being worn by the Worcester shooters.
Police said a check through the Criminal Justice Information Services system shows that neither Mangual nor Belnavis have a license to carry or a firearms identification card.
The Worcester Telegram & Gazette said both Belnavis and Mangual have spent time in jail and have links to gangs.
Mangual was sentenced to three to five years in prison following a shooting in 2014. He also has open cases for assault and battery on a police officer in Webster and drug possession in Worcester.
Belnavis has a lengthy criminal record. According to court documents, he's faced charges that include strangulation, resisting arrest, breaking and entering, and assault with a dangerous weapon.
Anyone with information about Belnavis' whereabouts is asked to call authorities at 508-799-8651. Anonymous tips can also be left here or by texting 274637 with the phrase "TIPWPD."
