Tommy Grays, a rising high school senior from Olney, Md., was killed while his uncle and stepfather were wounded
A teenage boy from Maryland was fatally shot while on vacation in Puerto Rico.
Tommy Grays, who went by Trey, along with his uncle and stepfather, were all shot on the beach of La Isla Resort, say authorities.
Authorities are alleging that the death a “targeted shooting,” and say it occurred after an argument, according to an NBC4 report.
Carlos Aníbal Rosado Martínez, 23, has been arrested and faces charges of murder and attempted murder as well as gun charges in connection with the shooting, according to multiple outlets, including NBC4, Fox5DC and CBS Baltimore.
It’s not immediately clear if he has entered a plea or retained an attorney.
Tommy’s stepfather was shot in the face and is in the hospital, NBC4 reports.
Tommy’s father, who wasn’t there on the trip, is heartbroken. Speaking over a video call to NBC4, he said, “I just want to get my babies home and in a safe place, and I just never want to see this place again.”
Describing the alleged events, Tommy’s father claimed, “My son had actually stopped the situation happening. … He then walked back to the beach and was in the water with his stepfather when the guy came running back up with the gun shooting at them.”
Tommy’s father described him as “an innocent kid with not a single violent bone in his body.”
Tommy is the third tourist killed in Puerto Rico in the past two months. Back in May, two NYU graduate students were fatally shot outside a San Juan nightclub during their birthday celebrations.
A resident of Olney, Md., Tommy was a rising senior at Blake High School. In a letter to the school obtained by NBC4, Blake’s principal Shanay A. Snead expressed his grief. “Although he was fairly new to the school community, he had developed strong relationships with many students and staff in such a short period of time,” he said.
“His smile was contagious,” Snead said.