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Pittsfield Man Facing Murder Charge in Monday Night Shooting

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Laquan Johnson, 27, the suspect in Monday's shooting in Pittsfield, has now been charged with murder after one of the victims has died. 
 
Stephan Curley, 26, also of Pittsfield, succumbed to his injuries at Berkshire Medical Center overnight. The other victim sustained non-life-threatening injuries.
 
Johnson is accused of shooting Curley and the unidentified woman on Von Nida Avenue on Monday night. The victims were able to take themselves to Berkshire Medical Center. On Monday night, Curley was reported to have been in surgery.  
 
Johnson was arrested not long after the incident and was arraigned Tuesday on a single count of murder. He had a not-guilty plea entered on his behalf at arraignment in Central Berkshire District Court. The Berkshire District Attorney's Office moved to have him detained pretrial without bail, which the court granted.
 
Johnson also faces charges of assault to murder, possession of a firearm without an FID card, and possession of ammunition without an FID card.
 
"I send my condolences to Mr. Curley's family and friends who are mourning his loss," District Attorney Andrea Harrington said. "Gun violence in our community is completely unacceptable and my office remains dedicated to holding perpetrators of these crimes accountable."
 

Original post at 10:10 p.m., April 4, 2022: PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A 27-year-old Pittsfield man is being charged in a shooting that injured two people, one seriously, on Monday night. 
 
Laquan Johnson was arrested within hours of the incident and will be transported to Pittsfield District Court on Tuesday morning for arraignment.
 
Police responded at about 4:22 p.m. on Monday to a ShotSpotter activation near the intersection of King Street and Von Nida Avenue. Responding officers say they located evidence of the shooting and shell casings at the scene.
 
Investigating officers learned that two gunshot victims drove themselves to BMC following this incident. Officers who responded to BMC spoke with an adult female victim who had sustained a non-life threatening gunshot wound. The second victim, an adult male, was taken into surgery for what are considered life-threatening gunshot wounds.
 
Detectives say a known suspect fired several rounds at the victims, which resulted in the injuries to both and that this lead to the arrest of Johnson. 
 
Anyone who wishes to provide information regarding this incident is asked to contact
Detective Civello at 448-9700, Ext. 522. Information can also be provided anonymously via the Detective Bureau Tip Line at 413-448-9706, or by texting PITTIP and your message to TIP411 (847411).

Tags: murder,   shooting,   

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Companion Corner: Cali and Kyzer at The Berkshire Humane Society

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — There's a bonded dog pair awaiting a new family at the Berkshire Humane Society.

Kyzer and Cali are both poodles. Kyzer is the male and is 7 years old, a quite a bit bigger than his sister Cali, who is a miniature of Kyzer and 8 years old.

Canine adoption counselor Rhonda Cyr introduced us to the two.

"They came from a household that couldn't hold on to them, and it sounds like they may have been abandoned by their previous owner with somebody else, and so they came to us looking for a new home," she said.

The two love to be around you and snuggle. But both are very happy dogs.

"Kyzer is 7 years old, and his personality is that he kind of wants to be in everything. He's very loving, very snuggly, as you can tell. And Callie here, she's 8 years old, and she is kind of like the life of the party," said Cyr. "She wants to tell you everything about her day, and she's a little bit of a little ham."

The two are considered seniors and really like soft treats as Cali just had a few teeth removed and Kyzer has a tooth procedure coming up.

"Currently, they really like soft treats, because they are both on the senior side of things. So they have had some dental work, so they are really in need of something softer. They are not big chewers at this age, really, their main focus right now is just really socializing and cuddling," Cyr said.

The two would love a quiet home with someone who wants to snuggle. They shouldn't go to a home with bigger dogs but if you have a dog, you can bring them in for a visitation with the poodles to see if they will get along. Cats will be fine and the preference is for older and more responsible children so that the pups don't get hurt, as they are senior citizens.

"The perfect home for them would be a quiet home that's not too active. Like I said, they're very social, so they could handle some visitors," she said. "They're very friendly, but I don't think that they would really enjoy any other dogs in the home."

Poodles need to be regularly groomed, and the prospective adopter will have to keep an eye on their health. Kyzer has a heart murmur that needs to be monitored. This doesn't mean he is in bad health, as he could live a perfectly normal life, but he will need to be checked by a veterinary specialist routinely.

"Ideally, he would go to a home that could provide further health care with a specialist in cardiac care. And you know, he could very well live out the rest of his life comfortably and happy," Cyr said. "We just don't have all that information at the moment, but I think that you know the way he's going right now. He's got a good spirit, and he seems to be pretty happy."

The shelter is hoping the to get them a home for the holidays.

"We would love to get them a home in time for the holidays. They've been here since the eighth of November, and they're really, really looking as much as the staff loves them here, we're really looking to get them into a home and somewhere nice and cozy so they can spend the rest of their life together," she said.

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