In the early morning hours of March 15, 2019, a gathering at Mr. Hookah on Broadway in Methuen ended with the death of 30-year-old Kelvin Frias of Lawrence. Frias, a Black/African American man and former U.S. Marine who was described by his family as a peacemaker, was attending an after-hours party when an argument began after the owner requested payment for alcohol. Frias attempted to de-escalate the dispute.

The conflict involved 24-year-old Remy Salazar of Lawrence. Salazar left the shop after being asked to go, then returned about 30 minutes later, shouted at the owner and fired multiple shots toward a group standing outside that included Frias. Frias was struck in the head and died the following morning at a Boston hospital. Methuen police and the Essex District Attorney’s office said the shooting was linked to the earlier dispute and not random. Investigators quickly identified Salazar as the primary suspect; he was tracked to a Nashua, New Hampshire, residence and arrested on unrelated warrants on March 15. A warrant for Frias’s murder was obtained the next day, and charges were filed against Salazar. A second man, 23-year-old Darren Jimenez of Lawrence, was arrested and charged as an accessory after the fact.

Does anyone who knew Kelvin or who was at Mr. Hookah that night have information to share?