Boston Police Recover 5 Guns in 3 Weekend Incidents

BOSTON, MA — The Boston Police Department got five guns off the street in the course of three incidents over an eight-hour span this weekend, including one man arrested with a firearm in a church parking lot.

BPD published a press release with its account of each incident (detailed below). The firearms were recovered in a weekend that saw one man in his twenties killed in a shooting that wounded two others Saturday, as well as a shooting outside an Allston nightclub Sunday.

According to BPD, the first incident took place around 8:17 p.m. Saturday night while members of the Youth Violence Strike Force were on patrol near Fuller Street and Milton Avenue. The patrolmen stopped a car with windows they believed were more tinted than legally allowed after its occupants reportedly threw a piece of trash out the window.

"Initially, the operator refused to stop but, ultimately, came to a stop in the area of 35 Woodgate Street. While approaching the car, officers observed occupants of the vehicle moving in such a way as if to suggest they were attempting to hide or conceal something," BPD said. "Specifically, officers observed two of the occupants duck out of sight for several seconds before returning to the seated position. In light of these observations, officers cleared the vehicle one occupant at a time. A pat frisk of the driver’s side rear passenger enabled officers to locate and take possession of a .380 caliber a Sig Sauer P250 handgun found in the suspect’s front pocket. Officers arrested Dequann Whyte, 24, of Boston and charged him with the Unlawful Possession of a Firearm, Unlawful Possession of Ammunition and Carrying a Loaded Weapon. A pat frisk of the front passenger led officers to recover a small, silver firearm tucked into the suspect’s left shoe. Officers arrested Patrick Ricketts, 24, of Mattapan and charged him with the Unlawful Possession of a Firearm, Unlawful Possession of Ammunition and Carrying a Loaded Firearm. A search of the area occupied by the rear occupant on the passenger-side of the vehicle enabled officers to locate a firearm hidden in an air vent. Officers arrested Marcel Dixon, 24, of Norwood and charged him with the Unlawful Possession of a Firearm, Unlawful Possession of Ammunition and Carrying a Loaded Firearm. The operator of the vehicle was issued a citation for Littering from a Motor Vehicle, Windows with Excessive Tint and Failure to Stop for a Police Officer. All three suspects will appear in Dorchester District Court."

The second incident took place around 3:25 a.m. Sunday, when officers in Mattapan arrested a man with a firearm in the parking lot of Jubilee Church, at 1500 Blue Hill Avenue.

According to BPD, "The officers were investigating a parked motor vehicle which was wanted in connection to a prior call for a person with a gun call. Officers observed the operator, later identified as Ronald Woods, 27, of Weymouth, asleep in the front seat of the vehicle with a back pack within arm’s reach on the front passenger floor area. A pat frisk of the bag revealed a loaded .40 caliber Astra A-75 handgun with an obliterated serial number. The suspect was placed in custody without incident and will appear in Dorchester District Court on charges of Unlawful Possession of a Firearm, Unlawful Possession of Ammunition, Possession of a Firearm with an Altered Serial Number and Trespassing."

And at around 3:28 a.m. Sunday, officers assigned to Dorchester stopped another car for an alleged traffic infraction in the 800 block of Dorchester Avenue.

"While officers were speaking with the operator, later identified as Angel Gonzalez, 27, of Roxbury, they learned that the car was improperly registered and would need to be towed," the BPD statement said. "While officers were conducting an inventory search of the vehicle, they recovered a loaded .380 caliber Lorcin Model L380 handgun from underneath an unoccupied child’s car seat. The suspect was then placed in custody without incident and will appear in Dorchester District Court on charges of Unlawful Possession of a Firearm and Unlawful Possession of Ammunition."

Image courtesy BPD