BOSTON, April 13, 2015—A Roxbury man out on bail in an earlier assault and battery case was ordered held without bail for the next 90 days after he opened fire near a school yard filled with children, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said.

SEMAJ LEARY (D.O.B. 7/18/94) was arraigned this morning on charges of unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful possession of a firearm as a subsequent offense, carrying a loaded firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition, possession of a firearm with a defaced serial number, carrying a dangerous weapon on school grounds, and discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a dwelling.

Assistant District Attorney Caitlyn Fitzgerald requested that bail be set in the amount of $100,000 and that Leary be ordered to wear a GPS monitor, remain on home confinement, and stay away from the area surrounding the location of his arrest in the event he is to be released on bail.  She also moved to revoke Leary’s bail on an open case charging assault and battery; in that case, he had been ordered to remain on home confinement during the pendency of the case.

Judge Debra DelVecchio imposed $10,000 bail and all of the requested conditions of release and revoked Leary’s open bail for the assault and battery case, which is scheduled to go to trial in June.

According to prosecutors, Boston Police officers patrolling in the area of Harold and Holworthy streets in response to recent gang activity in the area responded to the William Monroe Trotter Innovation School after hearing shots fired.

As they approached, officers observed adults and young children fleeing from the school yard, as well as two males riding BMX bikes toward the rear of the school.  Officers turned the corner and encountered a man later identified as Leary.  After making eye contact with one of the officers, Leary took off running.  Officers observed that he attempted to replace a silver firearm into his waist pocket as he fled, prosecutors said.

Officers pursued Leary through multiple fenced yards along Harrishof Street before losing the suspect; additional officers located him hiding under a nearby Nissan Rogue.

“The nature of this apparent gunfight remains under investigation, but it had absolutely no place around a schoolyard crowded with children,” Conley said. “Every one of those kids deserves a safe place to play on a warm spring evening. The individuals who fired off multiple rounds in such close proximity to them put everyone at risk. But for the rapid response of Boston Police and the recovery of two firearms, a child or caretaker could have been badly injured – or much worse.”

A silver Cobra .380 firearm was located along Leary’s path of flight next to a divot on the ground indicating that the firearm had been thrown there.  The gun was found to be jammed with one spent round of ammunition.  When asked for his license to carry, Leary instead requested an attorney.

Among the witnesses at the scene was an off-duty Massachusetts State trooper who described two teens fleeing the scene on bicycles. A search of their path of flight turned up a second handgun that Boston Police seized as evidence.

Conley urged anyone with additional information on the incident to contact Boston Police District B-2 detectives at 617-343-4275.

Also arraigned in Roxbury on gun charges today were JAMES KADLICK (D.O.B. 3/20/73) of Quincy, charged with unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition, unlawfully carrying a loaded firearm, and unlawful possession of chemical mace. Kadlick was arrested after Boston Police pulled him over for running a red light, observed a large number of knives and axes in his front seat, and spotted a .357 caliber revolver for which Kadlick did not have a license. He was held on $15,000 and his bail on an open OUI case out of Quincy was revoked.

In Dorchester Municipal Court, MICHAEL KING (D.O.B. 7/6/91) of Dorchester was arraigned for unlawful possession of a firearm as a second offense and motor vehicle offenses. Boston Police responding to a 911 call on Fuller Street spotted King in a vehicle that was parked blocking a fire hydrant. In the car with him was a 20-year-old male holding a bottle of Hennessey cognac, who was charged with possession of alcohol by a minor. Officers soon learned that King had no driver’s license or identification. When officers asked him to exit the vehicle, they observed a Smith & Wesson .357 revolver between his seat and the door. He was held on $15,000 cash bail and his bail on an open Brockton District Court case charging interfering with a police officer was revoked.

–30–

All defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.