Cops brace for more gang fights
Fear revenge in mall shoot
A fierce feud raging between rival Boston street gangs has sparked seven shootings in two weeks — including one that sent shoppers scrambling for cover at a packed Braintree mall Friday night — has cops bracing for retaliation and more gun violence, law enforcement sources told the Herald.
The long-standing gang beef between the Lucerne and Morse streets gangs ratcheted up after Jovani Jeudy, who police believe was affiliated with Lucerne, was gunned down Jan. 21 on Nightingale Street in Dorchester, according to a law enforcement memo provided to the Herald.
“Initial information received indicated that Lucerne may hold Morse associates responsible for this incident,” the memo said, warning that the shooting at the South Shore Plaza Friday night and Jeudy’s funeral services yesterday may revive the violence.
“With the increase in activity in this feud last night ... there is increased potential for firearm violence and retaliation between these groups in the immediate future,” the memo said, before listing the recent surge in shootings.
With the exception of reported gunfire in South Boston and the incident in Braintree, the gang violence centered in Dorchester, the memo states.
As the memo was circulated, authorities announced the arrest of a 23-year-old Quincy man and suspected gang member in connection with the Braintree mall shooting.
Michael J. Spence, who was nabbed in Quincy and taken into custody without incident yesterday morning, is facing weapons charges after police say he started shooting at a rival gangbanger about 6:50 p.m. in the Macy’s shoe department.
The brazen barrage sent shoppers racing for the exits and triggered a lockdown at the Granite Street shopping center as scores of terrified customers sheltered in place and teams of heavily armed SWAT officers conducted a “store to store, room to room” search, Braintree police Chief Paul J. Shastany said.
Spence, who is being held at the Braintree Police Department, is facing numerous weapons charges, including unauthorized possession of a gun and ammunition, and discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a building.
Shastany said investigators recovered numerous spent shell casings inside Macy’s and found a gun in the bushes outside.
He praised the quick response of the local cops, state troopers and SWAT teams who assisted with the search and said it was “remarkable” that no one was injured.
Spence is expected to be arraigned in Quincy District Court tomorrow morning.