Three men arraigned on firearm and destruction of property charges after South End shootout

BOSTON, May 15, 2023 – Three men were arraigned Monday on multiple firearm charges in Boston Municipal Court Central Division after a barrage of gunfire that left 21 cartridge casings in the South End, District Attorney Kevin Hayden announced.

BRANDON CHACON, 25, of Quincy, is charged with carrying a firearm without a license, possession of ammunition without an FID card, carrying a loaded firearm without a license, malicious destruction of property under $1,200, and two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon (firearm).

JAYSIAH WOOD, 20 of Boston, is charged with carrying a firearm without a license, possession of ammunition without an FID card, carrying a loaded firearm without a license, possession of a firearm without 500 feet of a dwelling, and two counts of malicious destruction of property under $1,200.

STILES LABOY, 18, of Chelsea, is charged with carrying a firearm without a license, possession of ammunition without an FID card, carrying a loaded firearm without a license, discharging a firearm without 500 feet of a building, and two counts of malicious destruction of property.

Judge John Garland ordered all three individuals held without bail pending a dangerousness hearing on May 18.

At about 9:29 p.m. on May 6, Boston police responded to a Shot Spotter activation call at 1514 Washington Street in the South End. Officers located numerous shell casings as well as two vehicles with ballistic damage on Mystic Street. One vehicle sustained a flat tire and a hole in the rear passenger side. The second vehicle sustained one hole in the front passenger door and one in the quarter panel. Officers also observed ballistic damage to a kitchen window in an adjacent home. Officers canvased the area and confirmed no one was struck or injured.

Video surveillance shows a group of six individuals, two later identified as Laboy and Wood, walking on West Dedham Street. Laboy and Wood cross onto Washington Street while the other four stay at the corner of West Dedham and Washington streets. At about 9:28 p.m. Laboy and Wood are seen walking on Mystic Street, shooting at an individual, later identified as Chacon. Chacon begins shooting back at Laboy and Wood as they fire several more shots at Chacon. Officers retraced Laboy and Wood’s flight path and recovered one of the firearms. A total of 21 cartridge casings and two projectiles were located.

Investigators shared photos from body worn cameras and images complied from video surveillance to identify the three individuals.

“The sheer number of shell casings at the scene combined with the amount of ballistic damage tells the story of how menacing this gun violence is to our neighborhoods. These individuals pull triggers with no consideration of the havoc and heartbreak they might cause. I’m thankful no one was injured, with two vehicles and a kitchen window being struck. Seizing illegal firearms and pursuing dangerousness hearings to get these individuals off the street are only a small part of a bigger issue. We know these guns are flowing in from states with lax gun laws. We need to get to the root of the problem by fashioning sensible national firearm purchase regulations,” Hayden said.

All charged individuals are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden’s office serves the communities of Boston, Chelsea, Revere, and Winthrop, Mass. The office handles over 20,000 cases a year. More than 160 attorneys in the office practice in nine district and municipal courts, Suffolk Superior Court, the Massachusetts Appeals Court, the Supreme Judicial Court, and the Boston Juvenile Courts. The office employs some 300 people and offers a wide range of services and programs to serve anyone who comes in contact with the criminal justice system. This office is committed to educating the public about the services we provide, our commitment to crime prevention, and our dedication to keeping the residents of Suffolk County safe.

James Borghesani, Chief of Communications