Massachusetts Daily Collegian

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

Massachusetts Daily Collegian

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

Massachusetts Daily Collegian

UPDATE: One dead and one wounded after overnight shooting at Southpoint Apartments

(Stefan Geller/Daily Collegian)
(Stefan Geller/Daily Collegian)


Editor’s note: This story was originally posted on Oct. 15, 2016 and has now been updated.

A shooting at the Southpoint Apartments Friday night resulted in the death of one man, according to an email from the Northwestern District Attorney’s office.

Mary Carey, the communications director of the Northwestern District Attorney’s office, wrote in the email that another person had been transported to the University of Massachusetts Medical Center in Worcester after the shooting.

“Police believe this was not a random act, and that members of the public are not at risk,” wrote Carey in the email.

At noon on Sunday, Carey sent another email confirming the deceased man’s identity as Jose M. “Joselito” Rodriguez, a 31 year old man. The email also confirmed the age of the wounded man as 28.

Rodriguez’s sister, Zuly, described Jose Rodriguez as a lifetime Amherst resident who worked at UMass Dining Services and lived in the Southpoint Apartments. In the same interview with the Daily Hampshire Gazette, she said he left behind three children.

Zuly Rodriguez also said her brother’s death was the result of ongoing violence between him and another person, and that she was sure of the shooter’s identity.

In another email, Carey added that a call reporting the shooting reached the Amherst Police Department at 12:05 a.m. and that the deceased person was found inside a building at the apartments.

Carey said the APD, Massachusetts State Police attached to the Northwestern District Attorney’s     Office and MSP Crime Scene Services are investigating the shooting.

On Saturday morning the APD had cordoned off areas of the complex with red tape, before leaving the scene around 11:30 a.m.

The last murder recorded in Amherst was in 2004, when University of Massachusetts student David C. Sullivan was found dead.

Stuart Foster can be reached at [email protected] or followed on Twitter @Stuart_C_Foster. Stefan Geller can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter @StefanGeller.

View Comments (1)
More to Discover

Comments (1)

All Massachusetts Daily Collegian Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  • A

    anonymousOct 16, 2016 at 6:14 pm

    FYI, Gazette reporting deceased was UM DC employee

    Reply