Court rules Holyoke Mall shooting suspect can claim self-defense

HOLYOKE, MA (WGGB/WSHM) - The state’s highest court has ruled that the suspect in the deadly shooting of an innocent bystander at Holyoke Mall can argue he fired the gun in self-defense.

In January 2023, Kenneth Santana-Rodriguez was originally charged with first-degree murder after authorities said he shot and killed 33-year-old Trung “Michael” Tran, who worked at Touch of Beauty Hair and Nail Salon at the mall. However, court documents stated that the shooting only happened after another man entered the salon, started an argument, showed his firearm, and threatened Santana-Rodriguez.

Documents stated that Santana-Rodriguez responded to the threat by drawing his gun and firing it twice and one of those bullets struck Tran in the chest. From the start, Santana-Rodriguez’s attorneys argued that this was not an instance of first-degree murder, but rather, a clear case of self-defense.

Attorney Joseph Pacella told Western Mass News that you have to put yourself in the shoes of the shooter to determine the intent of the situation. In this case, he said Santana-Rodriguez was antagonized and attacked first and responded accordingly, unfortunately taking the life of Tran, an innocent bystander. He explained that, for a case to be classified as first-degree murder, it must fall under one of the following categories: the killing has to be premeditated, done with extreme atrocity, or committed in the commission of a felony. “So none of those apply here is what the defense is saying because this gentleman was essentially attacked and shot back and didn’t have plans to shoot at anybody that day or do anything nefarious. It’s essentially an accident,” he added.

On Tuesday, the state’s Supreme Judicial Court sided with Santana-Rodriguez and his attorneys and stated that “...Unless the Commonwealth can prove that the act was reckless...the only possible conviction is involuntary manslaughter, not murder.” So, for this case, attorneys claim that, if Santana-Rodriguez didn’t act, he could have been the victim of gun violence himself, showing the incident was not premeditated.

We have reached out to the Hampden District Attorney’s Office for comment, but have not heard back.