Man gunned down; N.H. victim at after-hours party.

• Position: NEWS

Byline: Scott J. Croteau

WORCESTER - A New Hampshire man and some friends came to the city during the weekend to celebrate another friend's birthday, but happiness gave way to violence after a dispute over a woman, according to police.

The 21-year-old New Hampshire man, Adrian Ortiz of Pelham, was gunned down on Ethan Allen Street about 3 yesterday morning after he showed up at an after-hours party, according to police. Authorities said the victim was not part of the original altercation that involved his friend.

No arrests had been made as of last night.

Mr. Ortiz and his friends had made their way to the party at a third-floor apartment at 27 Ethan Allen St. Earlier Saturday evening, Mr. Ortiz and his friends were at Club Voodoo on Commercial Street.

At the club, one of Mr. Ortiz's friends was speaking to a woman when he was warned by another patron that the woman was his "girl" and "wife," according to Detective Lt. James J. Johnson.

The two men walked away from each other. As the bar scene ended, Mr. Ortiz - who apparently had no involvement in the dispute over the woman - and his friends learned about the after-hours party on Ethan Allen Street.

But when the Ortiz group arrived at the party, the same woman and man were there. The man at the party, described by police as jealous, allegedly saw the same friend of Mr. Ortiz near the woman again. This time he gave the friend a warning.

"He went into a bedroom with another man and came back out with a gun," Lt. Johnson said. "He pointed the gun at the man's chest and made some threats."

The Ortiz group decided to leave the party after the threats.

Once on the street, the group of friends was allegedly chased by the jealous man who was carrying either a .40-caliber or .45-caliber handgun, police said. The suspect fired several shots at the Ortiz group somewhere near the corner of Ethan Allen and Allendale streets, across from Worcester Baptist Church.

Mr. Ortiz was struck once underneath the right arm. The bullet went sideways into his chest.

"The victim wasn't ever involved in the original arguments," the lieutenant said.

The shooting was reported to police shortly after 3 a.m. Officers saw a van driving from the scene. When the officers pulled it over, they found Mr. Ortiz inside, Lt. Johnson said.

Apparently his friends intended to drive him to the hospital. An ambulance was called and Mr. Ortiz was taken to UMass Memorial Medical Center - University Campus, where he was pronounced dead...