Police Seek Charges Against 3 for Firing Shotguns in Park

An off-duty police officer, hearing two gunshots last Friday coming from conservation land off Hobart Street in Hingham, found three men with shotguns.

They face misdemeanor charges after police determined they had fired on public land without permission and too close to a building.

The men, a 28-year-old from Braintree and a 40-year-old and a 25-year-old from Weymouth, told responding officers that they were deer hunting but did not admit to firing the shots, Sgt. Steven Dearth said.

The men were not named because they have yet to be arraigned.

They were escorted from 106-acre More Brewer Park and will be summonsed on a local charge of firing a gun without permission on public property and a state charge of firing within 500 feet of a building. No court date has been set.

Dearth said the men were licensed to carry the shotguns. He said that residents can get permission to hunt with bows only on conservation land, and that people can also hunt on private land, as long as they are not too close to structures.

The men last Friday were measured to be 281 feet from the nearest building.

"The majority of hunters are respectful and follow the rules," Dearth said. "This is a rarity for us."