Massachusetts man sentenced to prison in fatal shooting after 20-year-old victim stuck up for ex-girlfriend

LOWELL – Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan and Lowell Police Superintendent Greg Hudon have announced that Timmy Chan, 21, of Lowell, was convicted of second-degree murder, carrying a firearm without a license, carrying a loaded firearm without a license, possession of ammunition without a license and discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a dwelling in connection with the fatal shooting of 20-year-old Nathaniel Fabian of Lowell. He was sentenced Tuesday to 20 years to life in prison.

“Nathaniel Fabian was threatened and gunned down after he  attempted to address the derogatory comments being posted online about his former girlfriend by friends of Timmy Chan.  This clash over words online, led the parties to set up a meeting.  The defendant chose to bring a loaded gun with him. He very quickly fired seven times at Fabian, striking and killing him.  The tragic ending to this story was the direct result of two very prevalent phenomena – cyberbullying and illegal guns on the street.  This was a particularly senseless loss of life,” said District Attorney Ryan.

On October 13, 2021, at approximately 10:28 p.m., Lowell Police responded to a 911 call reporting shots being fired in the area of Loring Street and Westford Street. Upon arrival, officers located Nathaniel Fabian suffering from a gunshot wound that had  entered his back and exited through his chest. Despite the efforts of emergency personnel, Fabian was later pronounced dead at Lowell General Hospital.

The investigation revealed that, on the night of the shooting, Nathaniel Fabian had been exchanging multiple text messages with his ex-girlfriend and several other people, including Timmy Chan, regarding disparaging  social media posts. After numerous interviews and the review of phone records and surveillance video, detectives learned that the parties involved had allegedly arranged to meet in the area where the shooting occurred. Upon arriving at the meet up location, Timmy Chan fired a gun, striking the victim before fleeing the scene.

The prosecutors assigned to this case are Ashlee Mastrangelo and Christopher Tarrant.

This investigation was conducted by the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office, Massachusetts State Police Detectives assigned to the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office and the Lowell Police Department.