Accused mall shooter indicted on murder charge
Published: 05-23-2023 9:08 AM |
SPRINGFIELD — The man accused of killing a beauty salon worker at the Holyoke Mall in January was indicted Monday on a charge of first-degree murder, according to the Hampden District Attorney’s Office.
A grand jury returned the indictment against Kenneth Santana-Rodriguez, 23, of Springfield for the death of Trung Tran, 33, of West Springfield inside the Touch of Beauty Hair & Nail Salon at the mall.
The indictment transfers the case from Holyoke District Court to Hampden Superior Court where the case will be tried.
Holyoke Police and State Police responded to reports of gunfire inside the mall Jan. 28 around 7 p.m. They found Santana-Rodriguez with a gun inside the salon and took him into custody without incident.
Police found Tran suffering from a gunshot wound. He was believed to have been attending to Santana-Rodriguez and his party when another individual entered the salon. A confrontation between Santana-Rodriguez and this individual quickly escalated into a shooting in which Tran was hit. He died on scene as a result of his injuries.
Santana-Rodriguez remains held without the right to bail.