LYNN — A Lynn man faces armed assault with intent to murder and a host of other charges after police say he tried to kill his ex-girlfriend and himself.
Luis Rijio, 26, of Lynn, was arrested Friday evening by Boston Police after he broke into the victim’s apartment and held her at gunpoint, according to documents provided by the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office. He was arraigned yesterday at Roxbury Municipal Court.
At 10:58 p.m., officers responded to a radio call for a person screaming for help inside an apartment near Fenway Park, according to the report. Witnesses said they heard the female victim yelling “Don’t kill me” several times. Officers reportedly kicked in the door of the woman’s apartment and saw Rijio standing over her and holding her down in a reclining chair while pointing a gun at her head.
According to the report, Rijio saw the officers, tucked his firearm away and escaped the apartment through a back door. After chasing him through an alley, Rijio was arrested by the officers, who said they found a Smith & Wesson .38 revolver in his possession.
After being handcuffed, Rijio said, “I just want to die; you should just shoot me and blow my head off.”
After taking the suspect into custody, officers went back and spoke with the woman, according to the report. She said Rijio started banging on her front door before breaking it open with a fire extinguisher, which is when she noticed the gun in his back pocket. The woman said Rijio told her he wanted her to watch as he killed himself.
She suggested to Rijio that they take their conversation outside but after initially agreeing to do so, he changed his mind and wouldn’t let her leave, according to the report. The suspect then said he was going to kill her and then himself. She also told officers that Rijio bit her neck and showed them the marks.
Rijio reportedly told the woman, “The gun was loaded and it was the best $500 that he ever spent.”
The incident came a week after Rijio allegedly violated a temporary restraining order taken out by the victim. She told police Rijio was texting her off multiple numbers and calling her every few days from a blocked number, according to an Aug. 11 police report. She also told officers he had been texting her photos of guns, but she thought he was just trying to get her attention.
Rijio and the woman met while both working at the same job and she said he began calling her up to 15 times a day. In the report, the woman told officers that Rijio was fired from their place of work because of the ongoing harassment.
The woman had a court date on Aug. 13, where she attempted to seek a permanent restraining order, just a few days before the Aug. 17 incident.
Rijio was charged with carrying a firearm without a license, possession of ammunition without an FID card, carrying a loaded firearm without a license, felony possession of a firearm, armed assault with intent to murder, home invasion, armed kidnapping, assault and battery on a family or household member, violation of abuse of a prevention order, armed burglary, malicious destruction of property under $1,200, and threat to commit crime.
He was held without bail pending a hearing on Aug. 30 under the state’s dangerousness statute, according to Press Secretary Jake Wark of the Suffolk County DA’s office. Prosecutors will attempt to convince a judge to hold Rijio without bail as he is a threat to himself and others.
