SPD: Drug dispute may have caused deadly shooting

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) - A man found shot in the head Thursday night died in the hospital early Friday morning, in what Springfield police say may have been a "drug deal gone bad."

Police Sgt. John Delaney told 22News that the victim, identified as Alfred Pellot Lopez, died at Baystate Medical Center around 3:00 A.M.

According to Delaney, just before 10:00 Thursday night, a patrolling Springfield officer heard a gunshot coming from Whittier Street. As he headed toward the area, a crying woman ran to the officer saying her boyfriend had been shot. The officer then called for backup and found Lopez in the walkway of his home at 17 Whittier Street, with a gunshot wound to the head. He was rushed to Baystate Medical Center, where he died.

Near the victim, Delaney says the officer found a backpack containing marijuana, packaging material, and a .45 caliber handgun. Officer's questioned Lopez's girlfriend inside the victim's second-floor apartment, where the smell of marijuana was strong. A search warrant was obtained for Lopez's apartment, where officers found several oxycodone pills, 2.5 pounds of marijuana, another loaded handgun, more than $24,500 in cash, scales, cell phones, and drug paraphernalia.

"The investigators have determined that this murder is 'drug related,' and possibly stems from a drug deal gone bad," Delaney said. He added that Lopez had been arrested for selling marijuana in 2005, 2006, and 2009.

Police continue to investigate the shooting, and no arrests have yet been made. If you have any information, you are urged to call the Springfield Police Detective Bureau at (413) 787-6355, or you can anonymously text a tip.

Lopez's shooting death marks the second homicide of 2012 in Springfield.