A Maryland teenager was shot and killed during a family vacation in Puerto Rico on Isla Verde Beach.
The altercation also left his uncle and stepfather shot and injured, according to authorities.
Local officials have categorized the shooting, which occurred on July 1 after an argument escalated, as a “targeted” attack. The alleged perpetrator, 23-year-old Carlos Anibal Rosado Martinez, is also reported to have shot the teenager’s uncle and stepfather. The stepfather sustained a gunshot wound to the face and is currently being treated at a local hospital.
Carlos Anibal Rosado Martinez turned himself in to authorities on Friday, July 7, and is now facing charges of murder, attempted murder, and firearms offenses.
The deceased teenager was identified as Tommy Grays III.
The catalyst for the fatal argument remains unclear at this time but stemmed from an argument. The victim’s father, also named Tommy Grays, shared his account of the incident. According to the bereaved father, his son had successfully defused the situation before the shooter retrieved his firearm. As the young Grays returned to the beach and joined his stepfather in the water, the assailant unexpectedly returned and fired shots at them.
Expressing his grief, the father refuted claims that his son acted aggressively. He emphasized that his son was an innocent person with no history of violence, stating that he had never been involved in a physical altercation before. Tommy Grays criticized what he viewed as an unjust portrayal of his son.
The victim was a promising student about to begin his senior year at James Hubert Blake High School in Montgomery, Maryland.
Grays was the third tourist to be killed in Puerto Rico over the last two months.
