The shooting took place Saturday afternoon at Swasey Field.
A 16-year-old male juvenile, accused of shooting and wounding two rival gang members, including another juvenile, in Haverhill Saturday near Swasey Field, was ordered held without bail pending a dangerousness hearing Friday in Lawrence Juvenile Court.
Juvenile Court Justice Jose Sanchez Tuesday afternoon also granted a motion from prosecutors to revoke the teen suspect’s bail on a pending case charging him with possession of a class D drug with intent to distribute, according to Carrie Kimball-Monahan, spokesperson for Essex District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett.
The teen was arrested Monday evening at Temple and Reed Streets in Haverhill, shortly after a news conference held by police and Mayor James J. Fiorentini. Police said the juvenile was charged with two counts of assault to murder while armed, one count of carrying a firearm without a license, one count of carrying ammunition without a FID card, and two counts of discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a dwelling. He was also arrested on a warrant out of Essex Juvenile Court for failing to show up in court on the pending drug case.
Haverhill Police Captain Robert P. Pistone said Haverhill and state police tracked the suspect for two days “based on images taken from video surveillance at Swasey Field as well as from witness statements.”
Haverhill Police Chief Alan R. DeNaro noted the shooting took place between rival gangs—members of which may be as young as 15 to 17 years-old.
During Monday’s news conference, in response to the shooting incident which disrupted a youth league baseball game at Swasey Field, Fiorentini vowed the city “will not abandon” neither the people in the neighborhood nor the park. An increased police presence was also ordered in the neighborhood.