LYNN – A city teen arrested fleeing the scene of a fatal shooting in January was arraigned on gun charges in superior court last week, but police say the murder investigation remains ongoing.Jacquan M. McKenzie, 18, of 14 Lakeview Ave. C6, was indicted Feb. 6 on charges of carrying a firearm without a license; carrying a loaded firearm without a license; and defacing the serial number of a firearm; according to a spokesperson for Essex District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett.McKenzie pleaded not guilty to the charges Feb. 28 at his arraignment in Salem Superior Court.Police responded to reports of a shooting at the Curwin Circle housing project at approximately 1:30 p.m. Jan. 12 and found Hery Aquino, 29, of Lynn, with at least one or two gunshot wounds to the head. Aquino died later that night at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.Police said witnesses described a suspect fleeing the scene, and officers caught up with the suspect, later identified as McKenzie, after a chase through Holyoke Street backyards. Officers also recovered a gun McKenzie was alleged to have dropped during the chase.McKenzie’s attorney has noted police have not charged the defendant with murder, nor have police definitively tied the defendant to the gun he is alleged to have been carrying.McKenzie was held without bail pending a dangerousness hearing when arraigned in Lynn District Court Jan. 13. The motion for a dangerousness hearing was withdrawn Jan. 21, and Lynn District Court Judge Albert Conlon ordered McKenzie held on $50,000 cash bail. Salem Superior Court Judge John Lu reduced the bail to $5,000 three days later. Prosecutors at the Superior Court arraignment did not seek bail beyond the $5,000 bail already posted by the defendant.McKenzie is scheduled to return to Salem Superior court today for a pretrial hearing. The district court charges against McKenzie were dropped Wednesday.Lynn Police spokesperson Lt. Rick Donnelly said the Curwin Circle incident remains under investigation and no additional arrests have been made in the case.
