Second suspect in 2016 fatal shooting of Rutgers-Newark student arrested

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After being on the run for almost a year, a second man in connection with the 2016 fatal shooting of a Rutgers-Newark student, was arrested last week.

According to a statement from Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, U.S. Marshals arrested Fraynned Ramirez, 26, of Hartford, Conn., in the Dominican Republic Feb. 21. Ramirez faces felony murder, robbery and weapons-related charges, according to the statement. Extradition proceedings had begun right after the arrest, and Ramirez was to be bought back to the United States as early as Feb. 22, prosecutors said.

Shani Patel, 21, of Toms River, was killed on April 10, 2016, during a robbery at his off-campus apartment on Central Avenue. Patel’s 23-year-old roommate was also wounded during the shooting but survived.

Authorities found a substantial amount of drugs and money on the scene of the shooting, according to Patch.com. Patel reportedly had a past of drug dealings and was sentenced to two years of probation in 2015 after being indicted on charges of possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and fourth-degree marijuana possession.

Alex Bardis, a friend of Patel, told Patch.com Patel was planning to go into real estate to flip houses, and aid his family in living a better life since their emigration from India. “He had big goals and he was pursuing them, all for his mother,” he said.

A second man, Marcus Feliz, 25, of Newark, was arrested on April 12 and faces the same charges.