Carl-Hens Beliard fatally shot by Missael Pena Canela: Cops

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North High School basketball player Carl-Hens Beliard meets Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll during a tour of the Massachusetts Statehouse on April 26, 2023, in Boston. Beliard, an 18-year-old Salem State University student, was fatally shot in Salem early Wednesday morning, Nov 1, 2023, according to Essex County District Attorney Paul Tucker. (Rick Cinclair/Worcester Telegram & Gazette via AP)

A teenage gunman opened fire at a well-liked freshman on the Salem State University basketball team who was driving away in a car with a woman, prosecutors in Massachusetts said Thursday.

Missael Pena Canela, 18, is charged with murder in Wednesday’s shooting death of Carl-Hens Beliard, also 18, according to the Essex District Attorney’s Office.

The Salem Police Department received a call shortly before 1:30 a.m. for a shooting not far from campus. They found Beliard inside a vehicle, suffering from gunshot wounds. He was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Local affiliate WBZ reported that prosecutors said at Canela’s arraignment hearing that he was in an “on and off again relationship” with a woman who was in Beliard’s car. Canela admitted to firing shots at the car as it drove away, WBZ reported. Prosecutors said Canela was arrested in September for smashing the woman’s phone. Canela’s defense attorney said it was “news to me” that her client confessed to the murder.

“I’m saying, at this point in time, my client is innocent. I think there’s a lot of information that we need to know,” she said, according to the outlet.

Canela pleaded not guilty.

Tributes have been rolling in for the fallen basketball star, who was just a week away from playing his first collegiate game.

David Babb, an assistant for Salem State, told ABC affiliate WCVB he attended Thursday’s arraignment in search of answers.

“I’m really still kind of blank on the whole thing. We got a correspondence from one of our players that something had happened, and that’s how we found out,” Babb said. “I couldn’t believe it, actually. Still don’t believe it cause being with us now for five, six weeks — happy kid, loved by all of us, always smiling, you know? So it shocked us.”

Beliard was listed as a 6-foot 5-inch tall forward from Worchester who was the lone senior on a state championship team last spring. He made an impression on Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey during the team’s trip to the Statehouse earlier this year.

“We had the opportunity, both the lieutenant governor and I, to meet with Carl, who was the only senior on that state championship team, and his teammates. He was excited about going to college. He was excited about playing college ball,” said Healey, according to the Associated Press.

Salem State basketball head coach Chris Harvey said his players’ hearts are crushed. He made a strong impact on the team despite his short time.

“Carl had an amazing smile that he brought every day to practice,” Harvey said. “He was so honored to be a part of the basketball team and was working really hard to improve his game.”