LOWELL — A 20‑year‑old man is in custody, charged with gunning down a man on Chestnut Street late Saturday morning, leaving him with multiple gunshot wounds and “extensive internal injuries,” according to police.
Nigel Griffin, of Lowell, faces charges including armed assault (with intent) to murder after surveillance footage allegedly showed him involved in a three‑man fight that ended with him pulling out a gun, firing, and leaving a 24‑year‑old man wounded in the street, police said.
The Lowell Police said in an incident report that the man who was shot, identified as Hector Rosado, of Lowell, also appeared — based on surveillance footage — to have a gun removed from his hand by the other man involved after he had been shot.
Following his arraignment in Lowell District Court on Wednesday, Griffin was ordered held without bail pending a 58A dangerousness hearing at the request of the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office. That hearing will take place on Friday and will be used to determine if he poses a threat to the community and should remain behind bars as his case progresses in court.
Police said officers were called to Chestnut Street at about 11:50 a.m. Saturday for reports of gunfire. Officer Raul Alvarez was the first to arrive and found a man waving him down in front of 65 Chestnut St., with the victim — later identified as Rosado — sitting on the ground against a parked vehicle.
Alvarez said in his report that he grabbed his medical bag and began providing aid.
The officer wrote in an incident report that he determined Rosado’s right ankle had a compound fracture “as the bone was sticking out of his foot and was facing in the opposite direction.”
He said that the first gunshot wound he observed was on Rosado’s right arm “approximately one inch above the elbow.” Alvarez said he applied a tourniquet, and the wound “immediately stopped bleeding.” A second tourniquet was placed on Rosado’s right leg as another officer arrived to help.
“At this point, I cut the victim’s sweater where I located three more wounds which appeared to be exit wounds in the middle/lower back along with another bullet hole on the right lower side of his abdomen which were immediately addressed by applying pressure with gauze pads which were provided by (the Lowell Fire Department,” Alvarez said in the report.
Rosado remained conscious for most of the time aid was rendered, though he told first responders he felt like he might pass out. Police said he was able to provide his name and date of birth and told Alvarez that his dog was still inside his vehicle parked across the street. About an hour after the shooting, Animal Control could be seen removing a dachshund from the car.
“I also asked Hector if he knew who shot him several times, but every single time, he responded by shaking his head side to side, which I understood to be that he did not know,” Alvarez said.
Rosado was taken to Lowell General Hospital’s Main Campus before being flown by medical helicopter to Tufts Hospital in Boston.
Police said hours after the shooting that the victim’s injuries are not believed to be life-threatening. Rosado condition as of Wednesday was not immediately available.
According to another incident report, a witness on Ash Street told police he heard a gunshot and waited roughly a minute before going outside, where he saw the victim “crawling on the ground.”
A second witness, who had stopped to visit a friend at 65 Chestnut St. moments after the shooting, told police she saw Rosado crawling toward her vehicle. Uncertain of what he was trying to do, she locked her doors and motioned for a bystander to call 911.
Police said that investigators recovered three spent shell casings on the sidewalk and beneath a vehicle near the apartment building at 61 Chestnut St., along with a “bronze colored projectile that appeared consistent with a bullet that had fired.”
With numerous surveillance cameras in the neighborhood, police began collecting footage.
Police said that after reviewing the footage from a slew of cameras, they were able to see “the entire altercation” leading up to the shooting.
Police said that the footage showed Rosado arriving at 61 Chestnut St. and arguing with an 18‑year‑old man who police said lives in the apartment building. The 18‑year‑old is then allegedly seen using a cellphone and appearing to send a message. “Within seconds,” according to police, Griffin appeared and “was clutching his left arm against his body on his left side.”
“It should be noted that this type of behavior is often done by those attempting to conceal a firearm in their waistband,” police said in the report.
The confrontation escalated into a fight.
“During that fight, Hector’s ankle could be seen suddenly broken and bent in all directions,” the report states.
According to police, the footage showed the 18-year-old held Rosado from behind while Griffin reached into his waistband and pulled out a black firearm with an extended magazine and attempted to strike Rosado.
Police said Griffin then stood over Rosado, “deliberately racking the slide of the firearm with his left hand, and then pointing the firearm at Hector’s right side/back, and a loud bang could be heard.” Rosado collapsed and stopped fighting.
The 18-year-old man then appeared to remove a firearm from Rosado’s hand before running toward Willow Street, while Griffin was captured on surveillance footage fleeing into 65 Chestnut St. with the firearm in his hand.
When police questioned a man who lived at 65 Chestnut St., he reluctantly confirmed the individual in the footage was his son, Griffin, according to the report. Lowell District Court documents show Griffin’s address is the Chestnut Street home.
A search of the residence did not locate him, but additional surveillance footage showed Griffin later leaving the area in a ridesharing vehicle.
A warrant was subsequently sought and obtained.
According to police, members of the Lowell Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Bureau took Griffin into custody at the main entrance of the Kiernan Judicial Center shortly before 1 p.m. Wednesday. The details of why he was at the justice center were not immediately available.
Griffin was arraigned about two and a half hours later. In addition to armed assault to murder, he is charged with assault and battery causing serious bodily injury, possession of a firearm without a firearm identification card, discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a building, and possession of ammunition without a firearm identification card. Griffin pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Griffin’s attorney, Lynda Dantas, declined to comment about the case, noting that it is in its early stages.
Before the arraignment began, Dantas successfully requested that her client stand in the defendant’s box so he was out of view of the press.
The shooting on Saturday rattled the neighborhood, causing families and children to gather outside on Chestnut Street as police investigated the scene.
Several young girls who heard the confrontation from a nearby apartment described ducking away from their window as gunfire rang out.
One 11‑year‑old said, “Right after we heard the gunshots, we ran,” while another girl said the violence “stresses me out sometimes,” adding, “All we want is it to be safe for everyone and so people don’t feel scared.”
A woman who lives near the scene expressed similar frustration, criticizing those responsible for bringing violence into the neighborhood.
“It’s crazy,” she said while standing near the police tape. “And that’s the thing — there are children here. And these people come here to do this stupid (expletive).”
She added, “If you want to kill each other, kill each other somewhere else. Don’t do it in our neighborhood. It gives us a bad name.”
Follow Aaron Curtis on X @aselahcurtis, or on Bluesky @aaronscurtis.bsky.social.
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