Two men plead not guilty in Fall River fatal shooting; a third charged with manslaughter
FALL RIVER — Jose Roberto Zelaya, 45, was trying to help break up a bar fight that erupted in the early morning hours on Sunday outside the Riverside Sports Bar and Restaurant on Rodman Street when he was shot, once in the chest, according to the Bristol County District Attorney's office.
Zelaya died about an hour later of the gunshot wound at Saint Anne’s Hospital.
Bristol County Assistant District Attorney Matthew Sylvia said during an arraignment hearing on Tuesday that Zelaya hadn’t been involved in the altercation that occurred around 1 a.m., but was trying to stop a bouncer from getting pummeled with glass bottles and chairs in the fight.
On Tuesday afternoon, police arrested the alleged shooter in New Bedford, and two other men were arraigned on felony assault and battery charges in connection to the deadly fight.
Anthony Miranda, 36, of Fall River and New Bedford, was taken into custody and charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, assault and battery with the discharge of a firearm, carrying an illegal firearm and carrying a loaded illegal firearm and manslaughter. He will be arraigned on Wednesday in Fall River District Court.
Two men plead not guilty Tuesday
Luis Colon-Delgado, 42, and Jose Pagan, 23, both of Fall River, were taken into custody after the fight and arraigned in Fall River District Court on Tuesday.
Colon-Delgado, who is currently on probation on a federal drug charge, and Pagan, who does not have a criminal record, both pleaded not guilty.
Colon-Delgado was ordered held on $50,000 cash bail on a charge of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon; Pagan is being held on $25,000 cash bail for assault and battery after the fact to an assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.
Fight started inside the bar
During the arraignments, Sylvia said the two men were both in the Riverside Sports Bar when Colon-Delgado got into a fight with another patron that involved chairs and bottles when it spilled out into the street.
Sylvia said Colon-Delgado left the bar carrying a chair to attack people involved in the melee, and when the bouncer was being threatened, Zelaya tried to take it away.
“This upset Mr. Colon-Delgado, who now turned his attention on Mr. Zelaya,” Sylvia said.
During the attack, Sylvia said, “the firearm was discharged, hitting and killing Mr. Zelaya,” said Sylvia.
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Pagan then allegedly fled in a car with the “would-be shooter,” said Sylvia.
Defense attorney Rene Brown argued that $50,000 cash bail requested to hold Pagan was excessive given he had no record and family ties to the community.
Brown also noted that when Pagan found out the police were looking for him, he gave himself up at the police station.
Defense attorney Paul Graham unsuccessfully argued that Colon-Delgado be released on $2,500 bail.
Colon-Delgado will be back in court on Nov. 10.
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Zelaya’s death is the second homicide in Fall River in six weeks, with both violent deaths outside city bars.
Jordan Gottlieb, 20, has been in custody on a murder charge since August, when he was arrested days after 58-year-old Antonio Santos was fatally stabbed outside of Latino’s Café on County Street.
According to the District Attorney's office, Gottlieb has been indicted by a grand jury on a murder charge and will be arraigned in Bristol County Superior Court on Oct. 25.
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He is being held without bail.
After Gottlieb’s August arraignment, a judge ordered court records impounded, so there is little detail surrounding the alleged murder. However, an assistant district attorney at the time of Gottlieb's arraignment said that Santos was stabbed six or seven times in the alleged attack.
Jo C. Goode may be reached at jgoode@heraldnews.com. Support local journalism and subscribe to The Herald News today!
This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Anthony Miranda faces manslaughter charge in Fall River fatal shooting
