The hunt for a 23-year-old Salem man who allegedly gunned down an Army veteran after a night out in Boston has gained national attention.
The murder of Stephen Perez, 22, of Revere, was recently featured on America’s Most Wanted.
Perez, an Army sniper, was out with friends in the Theater District in April when he became involved in a fight and was fatally shot in the back.
Police have identified Peter Castillo as the gunman.
The seven-minute long segment begins with the show’s host John Walsh talking about Perez’s military background.
“But tragically for this brave soldier he’d soon find out that the battle zones of Afghanistan and Iraq would be much safer than his hometown streets of Boston,” Walsh said.
Authorities believe Castillo fled to New York and then possibly to the Dominican Republic where he has many ties. He could also be somewhere in the Caribbean.
The segment includes an interview with Perez’s father and Boston police Sgt. Marc Sullivan and video of the fight, which was shot by a passerby.
Sullivan said Perez and his group of friends were heading home when a woman in a car said something to the group. The group said something back and the woman got out of the car and a fight broke out with other men in the car.
One of the men in the woman’s group calls for help and that’s when authorities believe Castillo showed up with a gun.
While Perez was focusing on another man during the fight, Castillo allegedly shot him in the back.
“It’s the most cowardice thing I’ve ever seen in my life,” Sullivan said during the segment.
Perez later died at Tufts Medical Center.
Anyone with information can call 617-343-4470 or text “tip” to 27463 (crime).
The segment can be watched below:
