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Authorities need two witnesses to New Bedford murder to come forward

E-mail|Link June 22, 2009 02:28 PM

This surveillance screenshot shows the shooting suspect and a woman (background) authorities are searching for as a witness. (Bristol DA’s Office)

By Matt Collette, Globe Correspondent

NEW BEDFORD – In the neighborhood here that John K. Martin called home, friends today were mourning the loss of a man they think died doing what he did best – helping others.

Martin was shot in the head Saturday night by an armed robber who had stormed into one of Martin’s regular haunts, the Petro Mart on Coggeshall Street.

Martin, according to authorities, apparently tried to protect a Petro Mart clerk from the thief, but instead was shot.He died Sunday night at the Rhode Island Hospital in Providence.

"It was just a coincidence, it shouldn't have happened,’’ Mike Khalife, 30, of the Petro Mart, said today. “The problem is that it's just like John to do something like this, he just helps everybody."

Down the street at the Dunkin’ Donuts, assistant manager Tracy Arruda said the 32-year-old Martin was in the restaurant nearly every day.

"John was the nicest possible guy you could possibly imagine, he'd do anything for anyone. You needed cigarettes, he get you cigarettes, you needed food, he'd pick that up,’’ she said. “People maybe thought he was trying to be a hero, but he was just being John, he would be the person to grab the gun so that nobody would get hurt."

Also today, authorities plan to release enhanced images from the store's surveillance cameras of two witnesses who were in, or near, the store when the murder took place.

“Two witnesses are seen in some of these photos,’’ said Gregg Miliote, spokesman for Bristol County District Attorney C. Samuel Sutter. “We have not located them yet. We have spoken to other witnesses, these two people have not come forward yet.’’

He said one witness was a white woman, and the second was an African-American man.

Anyone with information is asked to contact New Bedford police at 508-991-6300, make an anonymous call to 508-99CRIME, or call Sutter’s office at 508-997-0711.

Detectives are looking for a light-skinned Hispanic male who appeared to be in his late teens or early 20s, Miliote said. Police released photos last night, showing a suspect in a sweatshirt with the hood pulled over his head, but with some of his face exposed.

He is described as being between 5 feet 11 inches and 6 feet 2 inches tall, with a pronounced nose and thin moustache.

Tony Khalife, an employee at the store, said on Sunday that the shooter made a purchase, and then showed the cashier a handgun. Martin, a frequent customer, tried to intervene.

‘‘He tried to reach for the gun, and he couldn’t grab it,’’ said Khalife. He said the shooter shot Martin in the head, then ran without taking any money.

Khalife said Martin does not have family in the area and spent time at the store, befriending staff and regular customers. ‘‘He was a good guy, a nice guy,’’ he said.

Authorities are also searching for this man, who witnessed the shooting as well. (Bristol DA’s Office)