National Guardswoman, 27, and her daughter, 11, are shot dead while sitting in parked car as cops arrest man and search for another 'armed and dangerous' suspect in Massachusetts

The hunt is on for an 'armed and dangerous' gunman accused of murdering a young National Guardswoman and her blind daughter in a hail of bullets as they sat in a car outside their home.

Massachusetts mom-of-two Chasity Nunez, 27, was killed alongside eleven-year-old Zella in a street packed with children at 3pm in Worcester on Tuesday.

She was due to return to service on Saturday with the Connecticut Army National Guard where colleagues described her as 'incredibly resilient and brilliantly intelligent'.

Karel Mangual, 28, was arrested last night and appeared in court today as police search for his suspected accomplice Dejan Belnavis, 27.

Chasity's mother Noemi Nunez said she had never heard of either man, and cousin Tyrae Sims said whoever killed her had no reason for the 'senseless' murder.

'In any inner city, anyone that has any kind of morality understands it's always been no women, no children,' he told NBC Boston.

Chasity Nunez, 27, was described as 'the best mom she could possibly be' to daughter Zella, 11, who was murdered alongside her on Wednesday 

Police are hunting for 'armed and dangerous' Dejan Belnavis (pictured), as second suspect Karel Mangual prepares to appear in court today

Karel Mangual was arrested by Worcester Police after they stopped a car near the intersection of Main and Mill streets Wednesday afternoon

The driver's window of their car was riddled with bullet holes as neighbors described hearing what sounded like a 'machine gun'

'I just hope they know the gravity of what they just did. They took two beautiful souls senselessly.'

Chasity's SUV was left riddled with bullets in the driver's window, and more than 30 police evidence markers dotted Lisbon Street at Englewood Avenue as the investigation began.

'It was around 3 o'clock, I was getting ready to run up to the store, and I heard a couple of shots fired from something that sounded like a machine gun,' said neighbor Michael Mahoney.

'Scary that you got to worry about getting shot in your own neighborhood, you know?'

Within hours they had arrested Mangual from nearby Passway 3 Street in Worcester, and appealed for information on Belnavis who they described as 5'11, 160 pounds, armed and dangerous.

Mangual appeared in court this morning where he was charged with two counts of armed assault with intent to murder and one of owning a firearm without a license.

He already faced three open cases is and was refused bail before being remanded to Worcester County House of Correction pending a dangerousness hearing on March 12. 

Chasity, who served with the National Guard in Connecticut, spent four years at Worcester State University and earned two master's degrees before starting work at MIT last year, her mother said.

'She was a professional, she wasn't out there like that, she was a hard worker supporting her daughters,' Noemi Nunez added.

'We have no idea what happened.'

Chasity was originally from Brooklyn in New York and studied at Worcester State University

The National Guardswoman was mother to daughters Zella, 11, and Isla, two

Nunez and her daughter was described as 'two beautiful souls' by her distraught mother

Chasity Nunez during her service with the Connecticut National Guard

She had been working at Massachusetts Institute of Technology since early last year

Dejan Belnavis, who remains at large, sits on top of a Lamborghini sports car as he shows off his designer clothes

Wanted man Dejan Belnavis in a picture from his Facebook page 

Chasity had just completed four years with the Connecticut Army National Guard as a Patient Administration Specialist in the 142nd Medical Company based in Danbury. 

Her commanding officer Major Dave Pytlik told Dailymail.com she had been destined for success in both her civilian and military careers, and had more compassion than anyone he knew.

'Chasity was beloved by her fellow Soldiers in the 142nd Medical Company,' he added in a statement.

'Her wit, social nature and dedication to duty made her one of the best Soldiers in our unit. 

'I cannot begin to make sense of why this happened and why her family, friends, co-workers and fellow Soldiers have been robbed of her and Zella.'

Chasity's two-year-old daughter Isla, was not in the car at the time of the shooting and is being looked after by her father in Connecticut as her family tries to make sense of their loss.

'I'm thankful to God she wasn't in the car,' said Sims who was also Zella's godfather, 'It's a horrible silver lining, I guess.

'Zella was just the best,' he added, 'So full of life, such a good little girl. She didn't deserve it at all.

He described his cousin as the 'best mom she could possibly have been'.

'She loved those girls with all her heart,' he added.

'She's gone, Zella's gone and her other daughter is without a mother and a big sister, it's crazy.'

He said Zella had been born prematurely and was registered as legally blind but had fought to overcome the challenges of her short life.

'She was happy, healthy, funny and just so loving, and made it through all of that,' he added.

'To be taken like this, it's just not right.'

Chasity's brother Collage Nunez, 28, was sentenced to between seven and ten years in prison in 2016 after admitting the manslaughter of Worcester man Robert Walker, 18, who died from an asthma attack after being assaulted at a party in the city.

Nunez battered the teenager with a baseball bat and stabbed him in the buttocks before being chased off by other partygoers.

Residents in the leafy neighborhood said they have been left terrified by the killings on their doorstep.

'To be honest with you, I'll be up throughout the night, not even able to sleep because this is very unsettling to have something like this happen on this street,' Maureen Morales said.

'The neighborhood is very quiet, very family-oriented. You know your neighbors. You know your friends. You see them walking around. You're out, you're talking with them. To have this happen is just unbelievable,'

'It's awful,' neighbor Bob Shepard said.

The shooting horrified neighbors in the quiet Worcester street which was packed with children

Dozens of police evidence markers littered the street as the investigation began

'It's not the neighborhood. This is a quiet, family neighborhood. You don't get this type of thing here.'

The killing was condemned in a joint statement from City Manager Eric Batista, Mayor Joseph Petty, Interim Police Chief Paul Saucier and Superintendent of Schools Rachel Monárrez.

'An act of such violence has no place in our city,' they said.

'The residents of Worcester deserve better, and we will stand alongside our community in sorrow and solidarity.'