A tragic incident unfolded on a Puerto Rican beach on July 1st, claiming the life of a Maryland teenager. Tommy Grays III, a rising junior at James Hubert Blake High School in Montgomery, Maryland, was fatally shot near the Casa Cuba club on Isla Verde beach. Puerto Rico Police Bureau confirmed the incident stemmed from an altercation. Carlos Aníbal Rosado Martínez, identified as a suspect by authorities, surrendered to police on Friday morning.
Martínez's mugshot (El Negociado de la Policía de Puerto Rico)
Isla Verde beach (Google Maps)
Casa Cuba club (Google Maps)
James Hubert Blake High School released a statement remembering Grays as a kind, humorous, and caring student. Grays' father, also named Tommy Grays, expressed his grief and frustration to NBC Washington, emphasizing his son's non-violent nature and disputing portrayals of him as an aggressor. He stated that his son had de-escalated the initial conflict and was subsequently shot while in the water with his stepfather. The elder Grays explained that the argument initially involved another family member and escalated when Martínez allegedly retrieved a firearm.
