LAWRENCE — An 19-year-old man was gunned down on Jackson Street early this morning and died less than five hours later at a Boston hospital.
Jesse Mestre was shot at least twice in the abdomen as he was walking home at 4 a.m., police said. The shooting occurred about 50 feet from the front door of Mestre's home at 174 Jackson St.
Police are investigating whether the murder was gang-related, said police Chief John Romero.
Mestre was one of four young Lawrence men arrested in August for the murder of Jose Ramos Jr. who was shot while playing basketball at Scarito Park on Brook Street, police said.
Prosecutors dropped the charges against Mestre in February because there was insufficient evidence, they said.
