A Haverhill man, who accidentally shot himself on Fountain Street during August of 2018, was sentenced yesterday to more than two years in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Kadeem Pimentel, 25, was sentenced before U.S. District Court Judge Patti B. Saris in Boston to 26 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. Pimentel pleaded guilty last Sept. 25, to being a felon in possession of a firearm.
When Pimental accidentally shot himself in 2018, there were panicked, but false, reports of a drive-by shooting. Pimentel, was arrested the morning of Aug. 31 on firearms charges after he accidentally shot himself with a sawed-off shotgun as he was placing the weapon into his waistband.
Pimentel was found to be in possession of two shotguns, including the sawed-off shotgun. The firearms were found and seized following the issuance of a search warrant after the sawed-off shotgun was discharged by Pimentel in a vehicle at his residence. Pimentel was in the vehicle with other individuals.
Haverhill Police combed the area around after reports came in, eventually focusing on Pimentel of 88 Fountain St. Pimental, according to Haverhill Police, said his leg was grazed by a bullet, but refused treatment. After an investigation led by Officer Dana Burrill Jr., Pimentel was arrested a few hours after the incident during early morning. He was initially charged with possession of a sawed-off shotgun and unlicensed ammunition, discharging a firearm within 500 feet of homes, using a firearm without a firearms identification card or license and obstructing a police investigation.
Pimentel previously pleaded guilty Feb. 1, 2016 to a charge of assault with a dangerous weapon, according to Carrie Kimball-Monahan, spokeswoman for Essex County District Attorney Jonathan W. Blodgett. The charge referred to an incident in 2014. He was sentenced to two years of probation and ordered to stay away from the unidentified victim and not to possess firearms. Pimentel received 690 days of jail credit, according to Monahan.