A 20-year-old man is being held without bail after prosecutors say he fatally shot another man in a car after a drug deal turned violent.
Bravindah Mawanda, of Lowell, was arraigned Tuesday on charges of murder, carrying a firearm without a license, carrying a loaded firearm without a license, possessing a firearm while committing a felony, discharging a firearm at 500 feet of a building and have a large capacity power supply.
Mawanda is charged in connection with the fatal shooting of 24-year-old Nikhl Israni inside Israni’s car Monday night.
He is being held without bond pending a dangerousness hearing scheduled for Feb. 28. He pleaded not guilty to all charges on Mawanda’s behalf, court records show.
The pair were in Israni’s car for a drug deal before the violence erupted. WCVB reportedciting court proceedings. Israni was found with gunshot wounds in the area of Middlesex and Maude streets around 8pm on Monday. He was taken to Lowell General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Prosecutors say Mawanda fled to his home after the shooting, where he was later found with a gun “consistent with the victim’s injuries.”
Court documents suggest Mawanda confessed his role in the shooting to police and admitted he had the gun at his home. WCVB reported.