New Bedford Man Arrested in Connection with South End Homicide

NEW BEDFORD — An arrest has been made in connection to the fatal shooting of a New Bedford man in the city’s South End.

Jonovan Gonzalez, 27, of New Bedford, will be arraigned this morning in New Bedford District Court on charges connected to the Tuesday night homicide of 41-year-old city resident Ausarmaat Rahotep, Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III announced.

Gonzalez is charged with murder, carrying an illegal firearm and carrying a loaded illegal firearm. He was taken into custody on Wednesday evening by New Bedford Police.

The arraignment will be prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Gillian Kirsch, who has coordinated the investigation for the district attorney's office since Tuesday night.

Massachusetts State Police detectives assigned to the district attorney’s office, New Bedford Police and Homicide Unit prosecutors continue to actively investigate the homicide.

At 9:51 p.m. on August 11, New Bedford Police responded to reports of a shooting in the area of 139 Dartmouth Street. When police and paramedics arrived on scene, they located the male victim outside of 139 Dartmouth Street.

The victim, later identified as Ausarmaat Rahotep, 41, of New Bedford, was rushed to St. Luke's Hospital with life-threatening injuries. Despite the efforts of emergency room doctors, the victim succumbed to his injuries and died at 10:16 p.m.

The Massachusetts Office of the Chief Medical Examiner has taken custody of the deceased and will conduct an autopsy.

ABC6 reported Wednesday that Rahotep was arrested in 2017 for making threats against President Trump. The arrest happened in Florida after Rahotep called 911 and said he was “headed to Donald Trump with bombs.”