On the evening of December 4, 2023, 44-year-old Billy Spivey Jr., a Black man known to family and friends as Dunnie, was shot on the 100 block of Albemarle Street in Springfield, Massachusetts. ShotSpotter alerted police just after 6 p.m.; officers found Spivey with a gunshot wound and he was taken to Baystate Medical Center. He died of his injuries late that evening, with his date of death recorded as December 5, 2023.

Spivey’s family described him as a devoted friend and family member and organized a GoFundMe to help with funeral expenses. His death was the city’s 31st homicide that year. The Springfield Police Homicide Unit, led by Captain Trent Duda, and the Hampden District Attorney’s Murder Unit investigated the case.

Investigators developed a suspect and, according to records, an arrest warrant was issued on February 14, 2024, for 32-year-old Jean Mercado of Holyoke. On February 21, 2024, joint law enforcement teams located and arrested Mercado in an apartment on Quincy Street in Springfield; he was booked on murder and multiple weapons and related charges and was due to be arraigned that afternoon at Springfield District Court.

If anyone knew Spivey or has information about the shooting, please come forward to assist the ongoing investigation.