A 51-year-old man was shot to death in an alley off Farnham Street in Lawrence, and police say the man now charged with his murder had been arrested on an outstanding warrant. Elvin Joaquin Rodriguez (also reported as Elvin Joaquin Rodrigues) is expected to be arraigned in Lawrence District Court on the morning of Tuesday, September 22, 2026, on a murder charge stemming from the shooting the night before.
According to The Valley Patriot, witnesses said the gunman laid in wait in an alley between Farnham Street and Abbott Street on the evening of September 21, firing at least six shots at the victim. Lawrence Police received several 911 calls reporting gunshots on Farnham Street, per the Essex County District Attorney's Office, and officers found the victim suffering from numerous gunshot wounds before he was declared deceased, as reported by Boston 25 News.
911 Calls Preceded the Homicide Investigation
Police responded after multiple callers reported gunfire on Farnham Street.
The suspect was taken into custody on an outstanding warrant before investigators leveled the murder charge against him, the same account notes.
What Rodriguez Faces in Court
Should Rodriguez be convicted of first-degree murder, Massachusetts law mandates a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole under Chapter 265, Section 2 of the Massachusetts General Laws.
A City Already on Edge Over Gun Violence
The Farnham Street shooting comes three weeks after an August 31 incident in which three teenagers were shot and injured near Lawrence High School as classes let out for the day, a case Hoodline covered in its report, Lawrence Shooting Injures 3 Teens. Earlier this year, Essex County authorities also investigated another local homicide after a woman was found dead on Canal Street early Saturday, May 23, with a 21-year-old suspect arrested and charged with murder, as Hoodline detailed in its coverage of the Canal Street case.
In January, Essex County prosecutors investigated a separate fatal shooting in Lawrence on Essex Street, which District Attorney Paul Tucker and the Lawrence police chief called an apparent murder-suicide involving a domestic couple, according to WHAV. Federal and state crime metrics for 2024 showed Lawrence recorded a violent crime rate of roughly 439.7 per 100,000 residents, per data compiled by NeighborhoodScout.
The investigation into the Farnham Street shooting remains ongoing.
