Firearms Owners Against Crime
Institute for Legal, Legislative and Educational Action
Institute for Legal, Legislative and Educational Action
BROCKTON – When a teenager purportedly brought a BB gun to meet someone he planned to rob Friday afternoon, he likely didn’t expect to meet a man armed with a real handgun.
But residents of the quiet West Side neighborhood applauded the shooter’s actions for averting a possible tragedy.
“I would have reacted the same way. If my life was threatened, be it a BB gun or not, you don’t know,” said Joe Hanson, who lives nearby and heard the gunshots. “If they take the orange tip off, it looks the same.”
Police say the incident unfolded on Washburn Street about 2:58 p.m., when a 15-year-old Brockton man and 31-year-old Pepperell man were supposed to meet for a sale of a dirt bike.
“The victim in the case was lured here from the North Shore and he was attempting to purchase a dirt bike,” Brockton police Lt. Kenneth LeGrice told The Enterprise Saturday morning.
The two began texting each other about a dirt bike, which the supposed seller was offering for $700, LeGrice said.
“The party he was texting with apparently tried to rob him of his cash with what was believed to be a gun, but turned out to be a BB gun,” LeGrice said.
A struggle then ensued over the realistic-looking BB gun.
“They were fighting over the BB gun and, at that point, the victim in the case pulled out a real gun and fired three times,” LeGrice said.
The man reached into his white pickup truck, pulled out a 9-mm handgun and fired at the teenager three times, striking him once, LeGrice said.
“This neighborhood’s so quiet. Nothing happens like this around here,” Hanson said. “It’s a family-oriented neighborhood.
Residents said the teenager may have known the area because there’s a dirt path that leads directly from Brockton High School to the neighborhood.
Raymond Scott, who was babysitting his 3-year-old grandson, heard the shots ring out in front of his home.
“Of course, it was scary. All I saw was the kid run after the three shots,” he said. “Evidently, he shot in self-defense. The guy was trying to rob him.”
One of the three gunshots ended up piercing the windshield of Susie Ciulla-Hall’s car, which was parked in front of her Washburn Street home. She had just brought her five children inside after school when the shots were fired.
“He shot through our neighbor’s car windshield,” Scott said. “If she was sitting in there, who knows what could have happened? It went right through the seat. We’ve never had any problems like this over here.”
The teenager then ran down Washburn Street toward Larch Street and collapsed in front of 757 Ash St., as a result of the injury, LeGrice said.
The 15-year-old Brockton man, who police did not identify because he’s a juvenile, will be charged with armed robbery while masked.
“At this point, the investigation is continuing, but no charges have been filed against the victim,” LeGrice said.
The shooter, whose identity The Enterprise is withholding as he’s believed to be the victim in the case, said he wasn’t ready to talk about the incident when reached by phone Saturday morning.
Police say the Pepperell man is licensed to carry a firearm.
The teenager’s condition wasn’t available Saturday, but LeGrice said he is expected to survive.