Suspect in Haverhill’s Lafayette Square Stabbings Is Brother of Accused Fifth Avenue Shooter

(Jay Saulnier file photograph for WHAV News.)

The man arrested and charged in connection with stabbings in Lafayette Square is the older brother of Rony Vasquez, the 18-year-old accused of being the Fifth Avenue gunman. (Jay Saulnier photograph for WHAV News)

Three days after the arrest of Haverhill’s Jose Vasquez in connection with last weekend’s stabbings in Lafayette Square, WHAV can exclusively confirm that the suspect is the older brother of Rony Vasquez, the 18-year-old alleged triggerman at the center of last month’s Fifth Avenue shooting.

Jose Vasquez booking photograph

While Haverhill Police have not commented on the connection between Jose and Rony Vasquez, new court documents obtained by WHAV say police are aware of the presence of “gang members living at 11 High St., (on the) 2nd floor.”

A third brother, Gilbert Vasquez, is said to also be involved in the stabbing of two men from Methuen and Nashua, N.H., that took place just after 8 p.m. on Friday, July 13.

In an affidavit, Haverhill Detective William T. O’Connell said Jose Vasquez and his brother Gilbert used a knife to stab the Methuen man in the stomach and the Nashua man near his kidney, leading to serious injuries. One of the men required surgery at Lawrence General Hospital.

The attack was a “joint venture,” O’Connell said.

Police were initially called to the 117 Lafayette Square for a report of a possible overdose, arriving on scene to find two men suffering from stab wounds in the adjacent alleyway. According to a witness statement given to police, the Vasquez brothers “had beef” with the Methuen man, resulting in the stabbing.

When questioned about his attacker, one man refused to point fingers.

Such a response has become commonplace among victims. As WHAV exclusively reported earlier this summer, several defendants in incidents dating as far back as the May 2016 shooting at Swasey Field have had their cases dismissed due to uncooperative witnesses.

Four men tied up in the so-called “gang war” raging in the city, Eddy Almonte, Nestor Gonzalez, Juan Marte and Martin Lewis Jr., are set for Superior Court appearances in the coming weeks on updated charges.