Carl-Hens Beliard, a Worcester resident and member of the history-making 2023 State Championship winning North High basketball team, was killed in a shooting near Salem State University Wednesday.
Salem police officers found Beliard, 18, suffering from gunshot wounds in a vehicle when they responded to a 911 call reporting a shooting at 22 Forest Ave. around 1:24 a.m, according to a statement from University President John Keenan, Salem police and the Essex County District Attorney’s Office.
Beliard was taken to Salem Hospital where he was pronounced dead. He was shot and killed while driving his car on Forest Ave., according to Keenan.
“This tragedy happened off-campus and remains an active investigation led by top law officials,” Keenan said in statement to the campus.
Salem police and the Massachusetts State Police investigative units believe this was “not a random act of violence, and the situation is not an ongoing threat to campus or the neighborhood where it took place.”
The university had counselors on campus Wednesday to support students, faculty, and staff, according to Keenan, who reminded the community that there is an active police presence on campus and other safety protections in place.
“As both the Salem State president and a college dad, this tragedy is heartbreaking for all in our community and every parent’s worst nightmare,” Keenan said.
Beliard, who lived on campus, was a freshman member of Salem State’s basketball team and a sport and movement science major.
“This senseless gun violence is tragic not only for the victim’s family but for the SSU community and beyond,” Essex County DA Paul Tucker said. “State Police detectives assigned to my office are working closely with the Salem Police Department and Salem State University officials to identify and bring the person responsible to justice.”
Several members of the Worcester community have shared condolences along with remembrances of Beliard.
Mayor Joseph Petty described Hens Beliard as a hardworking and kind individual whose life was taken too soon in a post to social media and echoed the sentiments that the event is every parent’s worst nightmare.
“As a father of three, I simply cannot imagine the pain that…Carl’s family is going through. My sincere condolences and thoughts are with the family at this time,” Petty wrote.
“There are no words to describe the grief and emptiness we are left with following the devastating loss of North High alum Carl-Hens Beliard,” City Manager and fellow North High alum Eric Batista wrote on social media. “I ask for the privacy of his family, friends & the North High community as they mourn his loss. May they find comfort amongst one (another).”
North High Basketball Coach Al Pettway held a press conference for reporters Wednesday afternoon.
Pettway described Beliard as a great kid and smart student with a smile that would brighten up any room and a positive attitude “We lost a really really good one today, unfortunately.”
He specified that Beliard was “Not into anything that would get him in trouble.”
Beliard was the only senior on the championship team, which wore jerseys that said the word family on the back. “That’s what we were, we were family,” Pettway said.
The North High teammates stuck together on and off the court, according to Pettway, going out to eat and to movies together.
When he had to tell his teammates what happened Pettway said “They were in shock, they thought I was talking about a different Carl.”
“Our kids really had a difficult time hearing the news of the passing of Carl today,” he said. The North High team comforted each other by spending the day together.
Salem State was Beliard’s top choice because he wanted to play basketball, according to Pettway.
Pettway talked to his former player about a month and was excited to go see him play, he said, “unfortunately that’s not going to happen.”
Pettway says he “feels numb.”
Kiernan Dunlop is an award-winning journalist who has spent the past five years reporting in Worcester, New Bedford and Antigua and Barbuda. She’s been published in Bloomberg, USA Today, Canary Media, MassLive, and the New Bedford Standard Times, among other outlets. She can be contacted at kdunlop@theworcesterguardian.org
