Arraignment held for final suspect in deadly Holyoke shooting

SPRINGFIELD, MA (WGGB/WSHM) - The fifth and final suspect indicted by a grand jury in the deadly shooting in Holyoke, which killed an infant last October, was arraigned in superior court on Wednesday.

Alejandro Ramos, 22, appeared in Hampden Superior Court in Springfield where he pleaded not guilty. The court appearance came after the tragedy that took place in Holyoke on October 4 when, just after 12:30 p.m., a pregnant woman was shot while riding a PVTA bus. Her baby, whom she planned to name Ezekiel, was born and later died from his injuries.

According to police, the shooting stemmed from an altercation between a handful of suspects.

Besides Ramos, 29-year-old Jay Marie Rosado-Rosario, 30-year-old John Luis Sanchez, and 31-year-old Jose Galarza, all from Holyoke, have also been arraigned in recent weeks following their indictments.

Police said the pregnant woman was an innocent bystander who was shot after a round of bullets from the altercation went through the bus she was riding at the time.

Western Mass News spoke with Holyoke Mayor Joshua Garcia following Wednesday’s arraignment. He told us how it feels to know these dangerous suspects are off the streets of his city and he told us that he believes justice will prevail.

“Obviously, for any human who is caught up in a situation like this, we hope that folks get on a path. We want people to do well. Obviously, accountability is important,” Garcia explained. “Either way, the family who lost a child who’s the victim of this whole thing, you know, nothing is going to, you know, bring back the loss that this family has gone through, but hoping diligence offers some peace of mind, knowing our society does not tolerate this level of violence and behavior.”