Pittsfield Man Charged With Assaulting Two with Handgun

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — After a standoff, a city man was arrested and charged for allegedly threatening and striking two people with a handgun over the weekend.

Solomon Jones III, 32, of Pittsfield has been charged with assault and battery, threat to commit a crime, and carrying a firearm and ammunition without a license.

Police were dispatched to a multi-family unit at 10 Francis Ave.  at about 7:40 p.m. on Sunday for a report of a person with a firearm. Upon arrival, officers said they encountered two people with facial injuries.

"Those parties reported that an altercation had occurred in the parking lot involving a party who then fled the scene and ran into one of the nearby apartments. That party was later identified as Solomon Jones III, age 32 of Pittsfield," according to a press release by Capt. Matthew Hill

"Mr. Jones had allegedly pulled out a handgun on the victims and began making threats. He subsequently struck both victims in the head with the firearm and kicked one of them while they were on the ground."

Jones was reportedly located inside the apartment and was ordered to come out, which he refused.

Nonprofit Center of the Berkshires Honors Leaders, Volunteers

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
09:07AM / Sunday, May 24, 2026

Liana Toscanini presented the Founder's Choice Award to Smitty Pignatelli for his years of support as state representative. 

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Nonprofit Center of the Berkshires held its ninth annual nonprofit awards last week honoring the contributions of those who have helped the community in their own way.

 

The gathering at the Country Club in Pittsfield on Tuesday included the introduction of new nonprofit Executive Director Samantha Anderson, who steps in for retiring founder and director Liana Toscanini. State Reps. Tricia Farley-Bouvier, John Barrett III and Leigh Davis attended the event.

 

Toscanini, who created NPC in 2016, was honored at the conclusion of the evening to mark her decade leading the organization. 

 

"Founders don't just lead organizations, they are the organization in the deepest sense," said NPC Board President Emily Schiavoni. "Their relationships, their instincts, their fingerprints are on everything, and when someone has poured a decade of herself into building something from the ground up, the act of stepping back is not a simple handoff, it's an act of extraordinary trust and courage that brings me to what Leanna actually built." 

 

NPC became something of a chamber of commerce for nonprofits under Toscanini's guidance, creating a hub of support for leadership and networking for the small and large nonprofits that fuel much of the activity within the Berkshires. 

 

She developed more than two dozen programs, including Get on Board, which helps connect community members with nonprofit boards, and a giving-back guide, volunteer fairs, and a resource directory.

 

Schiavoni described Toscanini as a great mentor who has had a big impact in strengthening local nonprofits.