A 34-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the fatal shooting of 13-year-old Tyler Lawrence.
Authorities in Boston said Monday that Csean Skerritt was arrested Sunday for a drug-related charge involving fentanyl and is expected to be arraigned for the first-degree murder of Lawrence in the next few days, according to court documents obtained by NBC10 Boston.
Skerritt, who reportedly has a lengthy criminal history including multiple assault convictions, allegedly agreed to sell 50 grams of fentanyl in exchange for $1,500 on Feb. 1, four days after Tyler’s shooting, added NBC10 Boston.
Suffolk District Attorney Kevin R. Hayden didn’t elaborate on why investigators charged Skerritt with Tyler’s killing at a news conference Monday afternoon at Boston police headquarters. It is also unclear if Skerritt has retained counsel.
The Suffolk District Attorney’s office and Sheriff’s office didn’t immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for additional comment.
“There is still a lot that we do not know about this terrible crime,” Hayden said reported NBC10 Boston. “But we do know that a 13-year-old was gunned down on a city street on an early Sunday afternoon. And we know that a monstrous event has shaken our city to its core.”
“We believe that the shooter in this case intended to do what he did,” added Hayden.
Lawrence was tragically shot on Sunday, Jan. 29 at 11:30 a.m. while taking a walk in his grandparent’s neighborhood, according to CBS News. He was pronounced dead at the scene, per the outlet.
His mother, Remy Lawrence, released a statement after Skerrit’s arrest to say she was “relieved and grateful that Boston police and the district attorney’s office have taken the first steps toward justice,” reported The Boston Globe,
“We would like to thank all of the investigators, the detectives, and the elected officials for their continued support for our family, for their integrity and their persistence,” the statement continued. “Those who have stood with us have displayed an immense outpouring of love and support and we are so grateful for it at this difficult time.”
Remy made an emotional plea last week before an arrest was made. “Everybody in this city should be outraged! And if you’re not, what’s wrong?” she said, reported NBC10 Boston. “I just left a funeral home for my 13-year-old son!”
“The murder of a 13-year-old person is a nightmare for any parent in any city at any time,” Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox said at the press conference Monday, the outlet added. “We want to send condolences to the family, but more importantly, hopefully, this provides some sort of justice to them.”
“To the Lawrence family and to all of Tyler’s loved ones and the community, I am so sorry for your loss,” Mayor Michelle Wu added at the press conference.
“We know that the space, the pain, the hole in your lives that has been ripped apart won’t be filled by any announcement or press conference. We know that Tyler was a shining young child at 13 years old with a whole life ahead of him that so many have been pouring into and were excited at every step of the way to see his growth and all that lay ahead,” she added, per 10 Boston News.
CBS News interviewed Tyler’s friend and neighbor, Addie Varon, after the arrest. “They knew him, they knew he was a good boy and that he didn’t deserve to die the way he did,” Varon said. “I want to see why he had no heart to do that. He was only 13.”