PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A Pittsfield man was sentenced to five years in prison on Tuesday for drug and firearm violations.

 

The Berkshire district attorney's office secured guilty pleas from 41-year-old Davon Kelly on a number of charges related to a shooting incident outside of the former Lach's Lounge on Fenn Street in Pittsfield on Aug. 20, 2018, and subsequent arrest.

 

Kelly pleaded guilty in Berkshire Superior Court to single counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a building, illegal possession of a firearm, illegal possession of a loaded firearm, illegal possession of a firearm with a defaced serial number, possession of heroin, and armed career felon.

 

He shot at several individuals during an altercation at approximately 1:03 a.m. the morning of Aug. 20, 2018. Pittsfield Police investigated the matter and arrested Kelly on Aug. 30, 2018.

 

Judge Karen Goodwin ordered Kelly to serve five years at the Massachusetts Correctional Institution at Cedar Junction. He was also ordered to serve three years of probation thereafter.

 

The DA's office had asked for 10 years in prison. The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Andrew Giarolo.

 

"The Berkshire district attorney's office takes violence and gun crimes very seriously. We praise the work of the Pittsfield Police Department and our prosecutors for getting an illegal gun off the street and a dangerous person in jail," said District Attorney Andrea Harrington.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Police are investigating an early Sunday morning shooting on Columbus Avenue that injured  one.

 

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Two local men were arrested late Thursday night on firearms charges after police investigated reports of gunfire in the city's West Side. 

 

Tajaye Davis, 24, and Zyir Rasheed, 19, both of Pittsfield, were both arraigned on Friday morning in Central Berkshire District Court on charges possession of a firearm without having firearms identification card or license to carry, possession of ammunition without an FID, and receiving stolen property less than $1,200 in value. Police say additional charges are pending.

 

A ShotSpotter activation reported gunfire first in the area of John Street at about 9:43 p.m. on Thursday. Responding officers and the Detective and Crime Scene units located evidence of gunfire.  No victims or property damage were discovered.

 

Two hours later, at 11:43 p.m., a second ShotSpotter activation reported gunfire in the area of Francis Avenue. A State Police trooper was in close proximity, heard the shots, and observed a vehicle leaving the area at a high rate of speed.

 

A motor vehicle stop was initiated by the trooper on Danforth Avenue, where he was joined by multiple Pittsfield Police units.

 

The two occupants of the vehicle were detained, and a firearm was discovered inside the vehicle. Subsequent investigation revealed no victims or property damage on Francis Avenue.

 

The ongoing investigation is being conducted by Pittsfield Police units and the State Police Ballistics Unit. Anyone with information about these incidents is asked to contact the Pittsfield Police Department Detective Bureau at 413-448-9705. Information can also be sent via by texting PITTIP and your message to 847411 (TIP411) or provided anonymously via the Detective Bureau Tip Line at 413-448-9706.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A teenager fell into an old water tank at Springside Park and had to be extricated by first responders.

 

Deputy Fire Chief Matthew Noyes said the teenager was with some friends in the area when he fell into a previously collapsed section of the tank. He plummeted some 25 feet and could not get out. After about an hour, he was extricated and transported to Berkshire Medical Center. Noyes said the boy's injuries are unknown right now but they appeared to be minor.

 

"It was really well done. All of our people did a great job," Noyes said of the rescue.

 

The tank has been fenced off by the city but teenagers are still known to go there. It was previously a reservoir that hasn't been used in years. The tank was empty when the 16-year-old fell inside.

 

Noyes said paramedic Carly Falone of Action Ambulance sat at the hole and talked with the teen to keep him calm as firefighters began setting up rescue operations. Noyes said the teenager reported he had trouble breathing and a broken wrist but he didn't know if there were any injuries beyond that.

 

The Western Massachusetts Technical Rescue Team was called in, which includes several members of Pittsfield Fire two of whom were responding to the incident. Firefighters were able to start the rescue operation as they waited for the team's arrival.

 

"We are up to seven or eight active members," Noyes said of the city's membership on the technical rescue team. "Today shows why you have to have members tech trained."

 

The technical team consists of first-responders from all over Berkshire County who respond when needed. They brought a trailer full of equipment and set up a tripod system with ropes in order to lift the teenager out. Noyes said two members of the team, including a city firefighter, were lowered into the tank and were able to prepare the boy medically to be lifted out. The whole rescue took about an hour.

 

"It was efficiently done but it feels like a long time," Noyes said. "There are so many safeties and checks."

 

In a situation like that, Noyes said the first-responders need to be safe because a second person getting hurt in a situation like that makes matters exponentially harder. The additional length of time taken to ensure those safety measures are in place feels even longer for an injured patient, but in this case, the teenager was able to remain relatively calm throughout as he continued to engage with paramedics and firefighters in conversation.

 

Those responding to the incident were Engine 2, Engine 3, Tower 1, Engine 6, Rescue 1, Truck 10, and a six-wheeler, which is a piece of specialty equipment the department has on hand for such needs. Pittsfield Police officers had dispersed people in the area and secured the scene for firefighters and the Western Massachusetts Technical Rescue Team performed the rescue. Action Ambulance transported the patient.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A city man is in critical condition following a rollover accident on Columbus Avenue Saturday.

 

According to police, Chester Soutier was transported to Berkshire Medical Center following the crash and is in "critical but stable" condition.

 

Soutier was driving a 2009 Lincoln MKZ eastbound on Columbus Avenue and collided at the intersection of Center Street with a 2012 Hyundai Elantra being driven by Jaime Adorno, 35, also of Pittsfield.

 

Soutier's Lincoln then spun and rolled when it hit the curb. Lincoln and one other passenger were trapped in the vehicle and freed by Pittsfield Fire Department. The passenger, whom authorities did not name, as well as a passenger from in Hyundai was also transported to the hospital for minor injuries.

 

Columbus Avenue was closed to traffic from North Street to Center Street for about two and a half hours and then reopened.