Man murdered on Union St. in Springfield

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) - A man was found murdered behind a four story brick apartment building at 528 Union Street in Springfield.

Captain Peter Dillon told 22News the initial call came in at around 11:15pm Tuesday VIA the city's shot spotter activation system. It's an audible detection system that alerts police to the sound of gunfire.

They arrived to find a man dead in the rear of the building.

Dillon identified the victim as Dennis Jordan, 34, of Springfield. Jordan's killing marks the fifth murder of the year in Springfield.

The location is the corner of Union and Orleans Streets in the city's Mason Square neighborhood. The Dunbar Community Center is just across the street. It's also not far from State Street, where the body of Judy Ramirez , Springfield's first murder victim of 2012 was found.

Police detectives combed the area during the early morning hours in search of clues. They took photographs and measurements and wrapped up their initial investigation at around 6:50 Wednesday morning. All the evidence was placed in paper bags and off-loaded it onto the department's Forensic Investigation Truck.

By the early afternoon, neighbors at 528 Union cried at a candlelit memorial that has been set up in the area where Jordan was killed. They described him as a "good friend" who was always hanging out in the neighborhood, though they weren't exactly sure where he lived.

One neighbor told 22News that he had let Jordan use his restroom just minutes before he was shot and killed.

Mother of four Linda Cruz said that her 16 year-old daughter was the first to find Jordan's lifeless body. Cruz told 22News it was so horrible for her daughter to come upon the sight, and that she is so disgusted with the violence that she and her family cannot live in the neighborhood anymore.