Chelsea

Arrest Made in Shooting of 68-Year-Old Woman in Chelsea Last Week

Jefferson Barrillas, 18, of Lynn, is facing multiple charges, including armed assault to murder

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Police announced Tuesday that they have made an arrest in connection with the shooting of a 68-year-old woman in Chelsea, Massachusetts, last week.

Jefferson Barrillas, 18, of Lynn, was arrested Tuesday afternoon in Malden by the Massachusetts State Police Violent Fugitive Section, who assisted Chelsea police detectives in the ongoing search for the suspect.

According to police, a 68-year-old woman was shot while she was trying to get in her car shortly after 1 p.m. on April 21 near 78 Washington Avenue. She initially tried to drive herself to the hospital but was eventually taken by ambulance to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston for a serious but non-life-threatening chest wound.

A 68-year-old woman was caught in the crossfire after shots rang out in the middle of the day.

Police said they did not believe the woman was the intended target and said the shooter was thought to be aiming at people in another vehicle that fled the scene.

Chelsea police said they were ultimately able to develop information that Barrillas was involved in the shooting.

The day after the shooting, detectives came upon Barrillas, who was driving a rented Zipcar. Officers approached him while he was stopped in traffic, but he used his vehicle to evade police. In doing so, he struck a Chelsea police detective, who suffered minor injuries and was treated at the scene.

A person of interest remains on the loose, police said.

The driver reportedly took off into East Boston over the Chelsea Street Bridge. The vehicle was located later that night in Lynn.

Barrillas is scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday in Chelsea District Court on armed assault to murder and other charges. It was not immediately clear if he had an attorney.

No further information was immediately available.

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