‘I’m the one,’ Chicopee suspect told police after domestic shooting, CPD says
SPRINGFIELD — Handcuffed and shackled, Julian Santana entered a courtroom Monday with his head bowed after allegedly shooting his uncle four times in October.
He pleaded not guilty to assault with intent to murder, assault with a dangerous weapon and other firearms charges in Hampden Superior Court on Monday morning.
Santana, reportedly diagnosed with schizophrenia, has been held at Bridgewater State Hospital since a short time after his arrest. Before Monday's hearing, he had been declared incompetent to stand trial, according to court records.
Santana, 31, had been living with his uncle at 661 Montgomery St. in a densely populated area, according to police. On Oct. 8, Chicopee police fielded a 911 call just after 2 a.m., with a caller reporting someone had been shot at the home.
When police arrived, officers ordered the occupants of the house to come out with their hands raised, a statement of facts filed in the case says.
Inside, police found David Diaz lying on his back, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.
"It was later discovered that David (Diaz) had sustained gunshot wounds to his lower torso, chest cavity, arm and leg," the police report reads.
Diaz, 60, survived the attack after being taken to Baystate Medical Center.
Police said they interviewed Julian Santana's parents at the scene. They both said their son suffered from schizophrenia and had been resistant to taking his medications before the incident. The parents added that they had been unsuccessful getting their son committed through the courts, according to the report.
Santana's mother told police she and her son's father went to the home after learning he had been "been having an episode," banging on the ceiling and "acting reckless."
While his parents tried to calm him, Santana darted into another room and retrieved a handgun before racing up a flight of stairs, according to police.
"(The parents) both tried to stop him, but Julian ran right by, at which time they heard David say, 'No, no, no,'" then heard gunshots, the report says.
"That's justice right there," Santana allegedly said.
When police were handcuffing Santana, who was wearing a black ski mask, said: "I'm the one," the report says.
Witnesses told investigators he had been yelling at his uncle while quoting the Bible. Santana also alluded to some abuse that his sister allegedly suffered before opening fire. There is no indication in court records any abuse actually happened.
Santana previously had a license to carry a firearm, but it had expired three years earlier, according to police. His parents told investigators that neither of them was aware he owned a gun.
Police found a trail of shell casings on the stairs in the house, and bullet holes in a breezeway and a minivan outside.
A public defender representing him at the arraignment requested a further mental evaluation of Santana. Judge Charles W. Groce III allowed the assessment.
Defendants who have been deemed not competent to face trial are typically evaluated every 90 days, or until a clinician feels competency has been restored, according to the Justice Policy Institute.
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