Brockton traffic argument ends in tragedy

BROCKTON -- Angry and fearful after a traffic altercation, prosecutors say, 60-year-old Walter Bishop hunted down another driver yesterday, 27-year-old Sandro Andrade, who held his infant daughter as at least four lethal rounds were fired point-blank into his head and body.

Blood drenched the 9-month-old child, but she was unharmed. Andrade died an hour later, ending his dream of studying electrical engineering with money saved by working double shifts at local gas stations.

Plymouth District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz said Bishop had made a calculated decision to ''shoot a man in cold blood in broad daylight on the streets of Brockton."

Yesterday afternoon, at a modest apartment filled with grieving relatives, Annabella Fernandes, 21, Andrade's girlfriend, held their baby Alexandra tightly, saying, ''She's just a baby, and all these gunshots."

Hours earlier, dozens of people watched in horror on Main Street at about 7:50 a.m., as shots pierced the morning calm.

Investigators said the bloody chain of events began minutes earlier on a quiet side street, when a young, aspiring Cape Verdean immigrant and a frail, well-liked older man got into a traffic scuffle.

Police released no details about the altercation. Bishop told police that Andrade got out of his car during the scrape, screaming profanities and threats, according to Bishop's lawyer, Kevin J. Reddington.

Bishop left the encounter thinking Andrade had taken down his license plate number to exact revenge later, Reddington said.

''I made up my mind right there I had to do something," Bishop told investigators later, according to prosecutors.

Authorities said Bishop dropped his wife at an MBTA station, then spotted Andrade's maroon Isuzu Rodeo in front of a downtown employment office. He swerved his Chevy Blazer across traffic and rammed into the driver's side door of Andrade's car, witnesses told police.

Louis McPhee, 47, the manager of a car wash across the street, described what he saw next: ''He's got the window down, never even gets out. Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Four shots. It sounded like a cap gun . . . The guy was lying there in his own blood with a hole in his head and his arm still on the baby."

The Blazer sped off. When police arrived, a female witness held the blood-covered baby.

Another witness had jotted down the Blazer's license plate, leading police to Bishop, who admitted his involvement, prosecutors said.

Andrade and his daughter were rushed to Brockton Hospital, where he was pronounced dead and she was soon released.

Bishop yesterday pleaded not guilty to murder and was held without bail. He has no prior record and had a valid handgun license, police said.

Bishop suffers from emphysema and often uses an oxygen tank to assist his breathing.

Bishop stood silently during his arraignment in Brockton District Court.

''This is an example of what can happen when people take offense at something and go too far with it," said Brockton Police Chief Paul Studenski, describing the incident as road rage.

Neighbors said Bishop carefully tended his lawn and doted on his dog Kelly and was quick to smile and chat.

''He was the perfect neighbor," said Joe Denson, 37, who has lived next door to the Bishops for five years.

Reddington described Bishop as a law-abiding former US Army soldier well-trained in firearms who worked three decades for private security firms without incident.

Reddington said Bishop had recently developed depression and took two medications to treat it. Reddington argued in court yesterday that Bishop was provoked by Andrade.

''We have a homicide that resulted from a circumstance where somebody picked a fight with an individual who obviously exploded," said Reddington.

Yesterday, Andrade's family and friends gathered in his father's small family room, clearing the furniture to make room for a dozen or so chairs filled with mourners.

Andrade had studied electrical engineering in Portugal and immigrated to Brockton three years ago to live with his father, a US citizen.

''He came to work and pay for school," said the father, Artur Andrade, 75. ''He was a friendly person. He had a lot of friends. I don't know why this happened."

Though violence has plagued the Cape Verdean community here, Andrade's pastor, Bishop Filipe C. Teixeira of St. Martin De Porres parish in Brockton, said the young man lived a clean and productive life.

''We never knew anything bad involving him," said Teixeira.

Jose Lopes, 37, Andrade's cousin, echoed the sentiment: ''He's a hard-working man, working two jobs. He's working, trying to get his family together."

Fernandes yesterday said her boyfriend never got into trouble.

''If he had a problem, she'd know; he would tell her," said Lopes, who translated for her. ''She's very devastated. She's very angry. She just lost the father of her baby."

Fernandes yesterday held her baby, who was washed up and seemingly sanguine after the day's bloody events.

''She has no father," observed Manuel Mendes, 50, another of Andrade's cousins. ''Now, the father is the family. She will be taken care of."

Globe correspondent Franci Richardson contributed to this report.