DA Provides Updates on 4 Pittsfield Summer Shootings
PITTSFIELD, Mass.— District Attorney Timothy Shugrue delivered updates on a string of gun violence incidents over the summer and said even one is too much.
"This summer was extremely upsetting to people living in Pittsfield and our entire Berkshire community. While we live in a safe community, it is always disheartening to hear these gunshots. In the past four years, there has been a remarkable reduction in gun violence," he said during a press conference at the Berkshire DA's office on Thursday.
"Since January 2023, there has been a 62 percent reduction of validated shootings in the City of Pittsfield."
There were four separate incidents involving gunfire in Pittsfield this past summer. Some suspects were charged, and some are still being sought by police.
On June 18, a person died after being shot in the area of Tyler Street and Pleasure Avenue, and another person was injured. Following an extensive investigation, the Pittsfield Police Department applied for and was granted an arrest warrant for Terry Martizna, wanted for murder.
Shugrue reported that his office is working with various authorities, including federal, to secure Martizna's return to the Berkshires. He said he was involved the whole weekend of the incident after being "immediately" contacted by the PPD.
"My office was on notice, and we continued to work with them throughout the night. I can tell you that they worked all night long; they never stopped working. I was really pleased with the amount of effort that was going into it, and by the next day, we had a pretty good clue of where we were going. But the amount of surveillance that they had to go through was incredible, and it was just commendable," he added.
"The amount of support we got from the community, from the Pittsfield residents, and from the work that these officers put in all weekend long, they were able to identify certain locations where this individual was, and that continued all the way in through Monday morning. By that Saturday, I was informed that we had a suspect that we were just producing the probable cause reports, and that was all which led to the warrant coming out."
On Aug. 4, ShotSpotter recorded approximately 25 rounds fired around the intersection of Onota and Walnut Street. It was discovered that this incident led to two non-life-threatening injuries. This is still under investigation; a firearm believed to be connected to the incident is currently undergoing forensic testing.
On Aug. 16, there was a gunfire incident at 86 Linden Street, and three individuals suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
Jason Wright, 41, and an unnamed juvenile were charged with assault and battery, discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a dwelling, and possession of a gun without an FID card or license to carry. Shugrue reported that law enforcement is "constantly and continuously" looking for Wright, who has a warrant out for his arrest, and the juvenile is in custody.
On Aug.18, there was a shooting incident at 45 Circular Avenue, leading to a non-fatal injury. Pittsfield man Willie Harrison was charged, and his case was indicted in Superior Court. He has a pre-trial hearing set for Nov.19 and is currently held as a danger without the right to bail.
The DA reported that there were 44 shooting incidents in 2021 and 40 in 2022.
"Upon taking office, we focused on gun and drug claims. In 2023, shootings were reduced down to 13 shootings compared to 44 and 40," he added.
"In 2026, there have been 16 shooting incidents. However, even one incident of gun violence is too much."
He vowed to continue on this path to reduce gun violence, which he said includes supporting the cross-agency law enforcement task force, law enforcement investigations, and partnering with community agencies.
During Tuesday's midterm election, Massachusetts voters, according to projected results, approved Question 9, which sustains several changes to Massachusetts laws governing firearms: adding school administrators and licensed healthcare providers as parties permitted to ask a court to issue an Extreme Risk Protection Order if an individual is a present danger to self or others, imposing penalties for possessing, creating, and transferring untraceable "ghost gun" firearms, and more.
Shugrue reported that he endorsed the ballot measure along with other statewide DAs, who also helped write it. He found it important to crack down on the device that makes guns into an automatic weapon, ghost guns, and 3D-printed guns.
"Those were really important, and we didn't have those protections in place. That was so important to the gun laws. I mean, there were compromises in that bill, but what was really important to us was the public safety aspect and those protections that we needed- shooting into buildings, those kinds of things that weren't laws before that now these laws incorporate," he said.
"All 11 DAs supported the continued upholding of this law, and so we actually wrote a letter and endorsed the yes vote on number nine."
Tags: district attorney, gun violence,
