Chief says sorry for calling out Lawrence in gun theft

Chelmsford police Chief James M. Spinney apologized yesterday for telling a reporter a shotgun that had been stolen from an unmarked police cruiser earlier this week “could be in Lawrence” after the missing weapon was found in Lowell.

“I sincerely apologize to the residents of the City of Lawrence. Please know that while I understand that my choice of words was wrong, I did not intend to offend anyone or speak poorly of the City,” Spinney said in a statement. “I was only trying to comment that the missing firearm may be miles away from Chelmsford for all we knew, that early in the investigation.”

In his statement, Spinney also said he had contacted Lawrence police Chief James Fitzpatrick to “convey the same sentiment,” asked him to share the apology with Lawrence Mayor Dan Rivera and reached out to City Council President Kendrys Vasquez.

As officers across the Bay State were searching for a police shotgun taken from an unmarked cruiser that had been stolen from the home of a Chelmsford cop sometime overnight Wednesday, Spinney responded to a question from a reporter about the location of the missing weapon by saying “something to the effect of ‘For all I know it could be in Lawrence,’ ” according to police.

The weapon was recovered in Lowell yesterday thanks to the “invaluable assistance of the Lowell Police Department and Massachusetts State Police,” Spinney said.

The investigation into the theft is ongoing.