BOSTON, April 12, 2013—The defendant in one gun case was convicted yesterday and the suspect in another was arraigned and held on high bail in a separate proceeding today, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said.
A Suffolk Superior Court jury yesterday convicted GIROLD GRAND-PIERRE (D.O.B. 6/23/85) of Somerville on two counts each of unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition, and unlawfully carrying a loaded firearm. The charges arise out of an incident two years ago in which Grand-Pierre tossed two handguns into a dumpster near a Roxbury housing development.
And in a separate case arising out of an arrest yesterday evening, DEARRO BROWN (D.O.B. 7/25/87) of Roxbury was arraigned today in South Boston District Court on charges of unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition, carrying a loaded firearm, and trespassing. Judge Michael Coyne set his bail at $100,000.
“If you carry a gun illegally in Boston, we’re going to do our level best to take you off the street,” Conley said. “Prosecutors take a hard line every day on these cases. Police go the extra mile to help them stand up in court. Community partners are offering their help on tip lines and in text messages. Don’t take a chance. If you know about an illegal firearm, turn it in.”
In the Grand-Pierre trial, Assistant District Attorney Matthew Feeney of Conley’s Gang Unit proved that Boston Police officers heard what they believed to be gunshots in the area of Melnea Cass Boulevard and Brook Marshall Road on the night of April 27, 2011. The officers responded to the area and spotted a man running from the scene and leaving the area in a black Honda Accord.
The officers gave chase and pursued the Accord to Albert Street, where three men jumped out. One, later identified as Grand-Pierre, was clutching his waistband as if carrying a firearm and officers pursued him into the Alice Heyward Taylor housing development. As he passed a dumpster, the officers heard the clanging sound of metal on metal.
Grand-Pierre was apprehended nearby on the roof of 26 Annunciation Rd. The keys to the Accord were found beside him. A search of the dumpster turned up two revolvers, one of them loaded and one containing two empty shell casings.
At the time of their verdict, jurors were not aware of Grand-Pierre’s prior gun conviction in 2007, for which he served two and a half years. Because of that conviction, Conley’s office indicted him as a second-time offender, exposing him to a mandatory minimum five-year term; that charge will be tried at a separate proceeding at a later date.
Today in the Brown arraignment, Assistant District Attorney William Champlin told the court that Brown caught the attention of members of the Boston Police Department’s Drug Control Unit in the area of Andrew Square at approximately 6:00 p.m. yesterday. Officers watched as Brown walked quickly on Dorchester Avenue, looking in all directions and reversing direction to take side streets several times, all the while talking on his cell phone, prosecutors said.
While under surveillance by police, prosecutors said Brown entered a Sterling Square building that is clearly marked with a “No Trespassing” sign, remaining in the building for approximately 90 seconds. Based on his behavior, officers stopped Brown to speak with him at the Andrew Square MBTA station, where he appeared nervous, prosecutors said. When one officer placed a hand on Brown’s chest to prevent him from fleeing, the officer felt a firearm under Brown’s jacket, and police seized a Rohm .22 caliber revolver loaded with six live rounds. He allegedly made comments that he had found the gun inside the Sterling Square building.
Grand Pierre will return to court on April 17 for trial on the second-offense portion of his indictment. Brown will return to court on May 3 for a pre-trial hearing.
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All defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
