Accused Gunman In Woburn Police Shooting Not Expected To Survive
WOBURN (CBS) – The man accused of shooting a Woburn police officer earlier this month during a jewelry store robbery is not expected to survive.
Investigators say 25-year-old Antonio Matos of Boston was the gunman who fired several shots at officer Robert DeNapoli while trying to escape a robbery at Musto Jewelers back on September 6.
Matos and 21-year-old Hector Baez-Cruz of South Boston have been charged in the shooting and robbery. Police are looking for two more accomplices.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Bernice Corpuz reports
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Matos was wounded in the incident and, at Baez-Cruz's arraignment Friday, prosecutors revealed Matos is in a coma and not expected to live.
WBZ-TV's Kathy Curran reports
Baez-Cruz was arrested Thursday night and, according to court documents, admitted his role in the robbery and shooting to police. Police say DNA also links him to the crime.
He was arraigned in Woburn District Court Friday on charges of armed robbery and assault with attempt to murder. He pleaded not guilty and was ordered held on $500,000 bail. Baez-Cruz's attorney argued for lower bail, claiming his client is not a flight risk because he does not have a prior criminal record and he has a three-month-old son here. Baez-Cruz' mother is standing by her son, his girlfriend and 3-month-old baby were both on hand at the arraignment.
After the arraignment Mayor Scott Galvin said, "Woburn's a great city, it's an unfortunate even that could happen anywhere, it just happened to happen here."
The court documents released Friday provided the first new details of what happened during the robbery and shooting, which DeNapoli survived. He lost an index finger in the attack, but was released from the hospital last week and is recovering from his injuries.
According to the documents, Matos and Baez-Cruz drove to the jewelry store with two other unnamed suspects. Matos allegedly gave Baez-Cruz a gun and a white mask before they entered the store.
Sources told WBZ-TV's Kathy Curran police have identified those two other suspects as young women from Boston and that they helped the men get into the store. Both men were armed as they "made off with a bag of jewelry reportedly worth tens of thousands of dollars." In court Friday, it was revealed the jewelry was worth about $150,000.
On their way out, Baez-Cruz told investigators he dropped the bag as police arrived at the scene.
Acording to the court documents, Matos "fired numerous gunshots from a handgun at Officer DeNapoli, striking him a number of times."
Prosecutor Marian Ryan said Matos chased DeNapoli around his police cruiser as he fired, even jumping on the hood at one point. Matos finally stopped when other officers arrived at the scene and began shooting at them as he fled, according to investigators.
DiNapoli was able to fire back before Matos ran away, police said.
Officer Mark Gibbons caught up to Matos in a nearby yard, shots were exchanged, Matos was wounded and arrested. He refused to identify himself, according to investigators.
He has been hospitalized ever since, leaving investigators unable to arraign him on charges of armed robbery and assault with intent to murder.
Baez-Cruz escaped in a car with a woman, according to court records, but he threw his white mask away.
It was found and turned over to investigators, who matched it to Baez-Cruz with forensic testing.
Police eventually identified Matos, according to the report, and linked him to Baez-Cruz through cell phone records. Matos allegedly called Baez-Cruz twice the morning of the robbery.
Baez-Cruz was interviewed by police Thursday and later admitted his role in the robbery and shooting, the court documents stated.
WBZ-TV's Alana Gomez reports
He and Matos are related. Their mothers are cousins.
Baez-Cruz's mother said Friday her son is innocent.
WBZ-TV's Kathy Curran contributed to this report.
