DA: Teen gun arrests shows need for ‘societal reflection’
The Suffolk district attorney is calling a spate of recent arrests of teens with guns a “moment for immediate, all-encompassing societal reflection,” the latest in his statements condemning illegal guns on city streets.
A 15-year-old Mattapan boy was arrested by Boston police Monday and arraigned Tuesday in the Dorchester Division of the Suffolk Juvenile Court on charges of unlawful possession of a firearm.
His was the third arrest of a 15-year-old on firearms charges in Boston in four days.
“One thing we must never do is fall into a mindset that makes the reality of three children in Boston neighborhoods walking around with such destructive weapons somehow less perilous than three children in any other Massachusetts neighborhood doing the same thing,” DA Kevin Hayden said in a statement.
Hayden on March 17 launched the Firearms Rapid Indictment Program, which aims to expedite gun crimes to the superior court, where serious offenders could face harder sentences and higher bails. His office also convened a special grand jury the month before mostly dedicated to firearm offenses and nonfatal shootings to help alleviate the case backlog due to COVID restrictions.
Hayden’s office also designated two prosecutors to focus on firearm cases, securing 68 indictments since launch, a spokesman said Wednesday.
As that latest teen was arrested on firearms charges Monday, another 15-year-old from Roxbury was arraigned in the county juvenile court following his April 1 arrest on mostly gun-related charges: carrying a firearm without a license, possession of a firearm without an FID card, carrying a loaded firearm, receiving stolen property over $1,200.
“A child carrying a weapon like this is a tragedy not only for the child and the child’s family, but for our entire community,” Hayden said in a statement following the Mattapan arrest. “This is exactly the reason why we are targeting the traffickers of guns onto Boston’s streets.”
On Saturday, a 15-year-old Somerville boy was arrested on a firearms charge during a traffic stop South Boston that also led to the arrest of two men on drug trafficking charges. The teen faces delinquency charges of unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition, and possession of Class B drugs with intent to distribute.
Hayden stressed that the summer months are approaching, a time when school is out of session and Boston’s violent crime often rises as the city’s youth are outside of that structured environment.
Hayden is serving as the interim district attorney, appointed by Gov. Charlie Baker to serve out the rest of former DA Rachael Rollins after she left to serve as the U.S. attorney for the district of Massachusetts. He announced in February is running for a full term. Boston City Councilor Ricardo Arroyo also announced his candidacy for the job earlier that month.