BOSTON, March 12, 2013—A Braintree man was arraigned yesterday for allegedly firing at one man and shooting a second last week as part of an ongoing feud between two rival street gangs, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said.

PAUL WALROND (D.O.B. 8/9/90) was formally charged yesterday in Roxbury District Court with two counts each of armed assault with intent to murder, unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition, and discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a building for incidents on March 7 and 8. He was also charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle for the March 8 incident. Because of prior convictions for assault and battery, Walrond is charged as a Level III armed career criminal. Because the firearm believed to have been used in both incidents had been reported stolen, he is also charged with receiving stolen property.

Assistant District Attorney Thomas Costello recommended $500,000 cash bail on each of the two dockets for a total of $1 million. Judge David Weingarten imposed a total of $75,000.

“This arrest was the direct result of Boston Police officers who knew their city,” Conley said. “They weren’t at the scene of the shooting, but they knew where the assailant was likely to turn up. They kept their eyes and ears open and made our streets safer as a result.”

Walrond is accused of shooting at – but not hitting – an 18-year-old male on Holworthy Street just after 7:00 on the evening of March 7. He is also accused of shooting a second victim, this one a 22-year-old male, on the same street shortly before 8:00 p.m. the next evening. That second victim was transported to Boston Medical Center and is expected to survive his injuries.

Boston Police responded to the area of Holworthy Street on Wednesday evening after a radio call for shots fired. A resident spoke with officers and said that as he was coming home he saw a dark-colored vehicle pull up in front of the building. The driver of that vehicle fired one shot at him. Responding officers saw what appeared to be bullet holes in the exterior door and door frame; the next day, a resident provided them with a damaged projectile found in the front hallway.

The next night, Boston Police responded again to Holworthy Street for a person shot, with dispatchers noting that a black Cadillac was seen leaving the area and was believed to be involved. Knowing that the H-Block street gang active in the Holworth Street area was engaged in a longstanding feud with rivals from Heath Street, officers in the area of the Bromley Heath Housing Development began looking for vehicles matching that description.

Sure enough, Boston Police patrolling the area soon spotted Walrond operating a black 2000 Cadillac Catera and turning toward them from Heath Street onto Parker Street. On encountering the officers’ cruiser, the Cadillac reversed direction and drove into a parking lot behind a Parker Street address, where it stopped and Walrond exited.

Walrond began walking away from the Cadillac, leaving its front windows down. Officers attempted to engage him in conversation, but to no avail: he allegedly ignored them until officers physically guided him toward their cruisers to detain him. Additional officers responded to the Parker Street area and immediately spotted a handgun on the floor by the back seat. At that point, Walrond was placed under arrest. The firearm was a Smith and Wesson .357 Magnum revolver with three live rounds and three spent casings in the cylinder. Based on the serial number, detectives learned that it had previously been reported stolen.

In a recorded, post-Miranda statement at the Area B-2 station, Walrond allegedly admitted to Boston Police detectives that, though he didn’t know who the victim was, he had shot the man on Holworthy Street earlier that evening. Walrond allegedly admitted to shooting at the uninjured victim the night before, as well. Walrond allegedly said that he’d undertaken these shootings because a friend had been shot by H-Block gang members on an earlier occasion.

Walrond was represented by attorney Samuel Higer. He will return to court on April 9.

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