Fatal Shooting, 3 Gun Related Arrests On July 4: Boston Police

BOSTON, MA — Although all was calm on the Esplanade, according to police, there was one fatal shooting and at least three gun-related arrests within three hours of one another Wednesday.

"As I’ve mentioned many times before, the 4th of July has always been a challenging time for those of us in law enforcement due to the loud parties and large gatherings which always seem to lead to trouble and violence. But, thanks to my officers, there’s no doubt in my mind that this day was a whole lot safer thanks to their efforts," said Commissioner William Evans in a statement.

Police are investigating the death of a man who was shot near Brookford and Dacia Street not far from Dudley Square in around 9:50 p.m., on Wednesday. When police got there they found a man believed to be in his 30s, suffering from multiple life-threatening gunshot wounds. First responders transported him Boston Medical Center where he later died.

Police are asking that anyone with information about what happened contact Boston Police Homicide Detectives at (617) 343-4470.

But earlier in the day police said while on patrol within a four-hour window of time they pulled over and arrested three people for having guns without a license.

At about 11:48 a.m., officers were on patrol in the area of Bird Street and Columbia Road when they spotted a gray car travelling with what they said appeared to be excessively tinted windows. When officers attempted to stop the car, instead of pulling over, the driver slowed but refused to come to a complete stop. While following behind the car, officers saw the front seat passenger moving in such a way as if to suggest he was attempting to conceal something, according to police. Eventually, the car came to a stop in the area of Alexander Street and Blue Hill Ave. But, as soon as the car stopped, a man carrying a backpack, jumped out and took off running. After a lengthy foot chase, officers were able to catch up to "and subdue" the man. A search of the backpack enabled officers to locate and confiscate a German Sport Guns GSG 1911 (see photo above). Officers arrested Fitzgerald Saint-Louis, 22, of Boston and charged him with the unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition and carrying a loaded firearm on a public way.

A little more than three hours later, at about 3:15 p.m., police said they saw two riding dirt bikes while not wearing helmets near Bowdoin Street and Geneva Ave. Officers said because of the way one of the guy's backpacks looked they feared the presence of a weapon on top of the missing helmets. Again, when police tried to pull the driver over, instead of stopping, the driver sped up. Officers were able to catch up to and stop the driver in the area of Talbot Ave near the Lee School. A pat frisk of the man's backpack enabled officers to locate and confiscate a silver Interarms .38 revolver. Officers arrested Theron White, 27, of Boston and charged him with the unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition, carrying a loaded firearm on a public way, operating an off road vehicle on a public way, operating after license suspension and failure to stop for a Police Officer.

Less than an hour later, at about 4:10 p.m., police officers saw a black car didn't stop for a stop sign in the area of Rosseter and Bullard streets. While approaching the vehicle, officers said they saw the driver moving in such a way as if to suggest he was attempting to hide or conceal something under the front seat of the vehicle. When they asked if he had hidden anything under his seat, the operator became increasingly more uneasy and quickly put his car into drive and sped off. Police caught up when the man was forced to stop his car after getting tangled up in traffic in the area of Westville Street and Drayton Street. As officers got closer, they said they saw the man discard an object as he exited his vehicle and ran down an alley in the area of 216 Westville Street. They caught up and after "a physical altercation," took the man into custody and found a black .40 caliber Glock nearby, which the man had allegedly attempted to discard.

Officers arrested Hal McIntosh, 29, of Boston and charged him with unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition, carrying a loaded firearm on a public way, possession of large capacity Feeding Device and Unlawful Possession of a Firearm (3rd Subsequent Offense).

“I want to commend my officers for the hard work and ongoing efforts to keep people safe in our city. Within five hours, my officers bravely took three guns off of our streets and arrested the three individuals who thought it was okay to illegally possess them," said Commissioner William Evans.

Community members wishing to assist this investigation anonymously can do so by calling the CrimeStoppers Tip Line at 1 (800) 494-TIPS or by texting the word ‘TIP’ to CRIME (27463). The Boston Police Department will stringently guard and protect the identities of all those who wish to help this investigation in an anonymous manner.

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Jenna Fisher can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna).

Photo by Boston Police.