Teacher and community leader Cecil Lewis shot dead in Santa Isabel, PR
Cecil Lewis Matías, a 49-year-old teacher and founder of a community foundation, was ambushed by two or more people whilst collecting donations in Santa Isabel.
Teacher and foundation founder shot dead in Santa Isabel
Cecil Lewis Matías, 49, a physical education teacher and community leader, was shot dead at 2:19 p.m. on Tuesday on Luis Muñoz Rivera final street in Santa Isabel whilst collecting clothing donations for elderly people, according to primerahora.com.
With two large bags in his hands and heading towards his Toyota Tacoma, Lewis Matías was ambushed by two or more gunmen who shot him multiple times. Shell casings of different calibres were recovered at the scene and security camera footage was seized as part of the investigation.
Lewis Matías was the founder of Centro Fuente de Esperanza Inc. in Santa Isabel. The community remembered him as a military veteran, university athlete and public servant committed to people with limited resources. Numerous condolence messages were posted on social media after his death became known.
Inspector Daniel Justiniano, director of the Criminal Investigation Corps (CIC) in Ponce, reported that Lewis Matías was suspended from his teaching duties at the time of the crime due to an outstanding administrative complaint alleging insubordination and institutional misconduct. "He was collecting clothes for people with limited resources, seeking donations for the foundation. He was a well-liked person in his community. We are receiving a lot of information and we are corroborating it," Justiniano stated.
In March of this year, Lewis Matías had appeared before the Education Commission of the Puerto Rico House of Representatives to testify alongside other teachers about prolonged precautionary measures that the Department of Education imposed on teachers, sometimes affecting their family, economic and emotional life for over a year.
Authorities clarified that his testimony before the House has not been linked to the murder, and that the motive for the crime has not yet been determined. Agent Joseph A. Rodríguez Mercado, of the Homicide Division of the CIC in Ponce, and prosecutor Yamileth Feliciano Rivera are investigating the case.
Source: Google News PR — Crime