Man confesses to four gunshot incidents, police say, but motive remains unclear
The spate of shots-fired incidents reported in the neighborhood known as Area IV and The Port is likely at an end with the arrest late Wednesday of a single person.
Jose DeJesus, 44, of 243 Broadway, was tracked down and arrested late Wednesday after several locals passed on information that was backed up by spotting the suspect in surveillance footage, said Jeremy Warnick, director of communications and media relations for Cambridge police.
DeJesus confessed, Warnick said Thursday, but police are not ready to explain his motive.
Whatever the reasons, based on that confession he has been prolific:
At 6:44 p.m. March 13, police recovered three blank shell casings after responding to a gunshots call and anonymous email tip at Windsor Street and Broadway in Central Square.
At 9:37 p.m. Feb. 22, two blank shell casings were found at Windsor and Harvard street after a report of shots fired.
At 6:45 p.m. Feb. 2, a blank shell casing was found near 125 Harvard St. Residents reported hearing a motor vehicle screeching and speeding away after gunshots were fired.
Outside of the neighborhood, DeJesus is also connected to the Dec. 30 recovery of blank shell casings at Norfolk and Cambridge streets.
But DeJesus’ case is distinct from a March 9 incident when police responded to the reports of gunshots at 2:53 p.m. around Columbia and Pine streets near Clement G. Morgan Park, Warnick said. That incident was also in the neighborhood known as Area IV/The Port, and similar in that police found shell casings confirming shots had been fired.
DeJesus was arrested for a warrant out of Cambridge District Court that listed the charges of discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a building and disorderly conduct. Additional charges could follow, police said.
“The arrest of this suspect is the culmination of some terrific investigative work by our officers, whose commitment and resolve to these incidents led to the identification and detention of the suspect,” Deputy Superintendent Steven DeMarco said. “We are also appreciative of the community’s support in providing helpful tips and information that enabled us to expedite the investigation.”
It’s not DeJesus’ first brush with the law. In 2003, he was accused of shooting a man several times in the legs and lower torso.
