Brockton Man Held without Bail After being Arrested in Possession of Loaded “Ghost Gun”
BOSTON, April 21, 2022—A Brockton man was ordered held without bail today in the West Roxbury Division of Boston Municipal Court pending a dangerousness hearing after being arrested for possessing a loaded firearm on Wednesday, District Attorney Kevin Hayden announced.
Vanell Dominique, 20, is charged with illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition and carrying a loaded firearm. Judge Kathleen Coffey ordered Dominique held without bail pending a dangerousness hearing on April 26.
Dominique has a pending firearm case out of the Dorchester division of Boston Municipal Court.
Shortly before 7 p.m. on Wednesday, State Police and Boston Police officers assigned to the Youth Violence Strike Force approached a vehicle in the Florence Apartments parking lot at 79 Bradeen Street in Roslindale upon determining that the vehicle was uninspected. Three men, including Dominique, were in the vehicle. The officers recognized the occupants as having pending firearm cases, with one of the occupants wearing a court-ordered GPS ankle bracelet.
The officers conducted a search of the vehicle and the occupants for firearms, and discovered Dominique in possession of an unserialized, 9mm Polymer-80 “ghost gun” with a laser sight. The weapon was loaded with 10 rounds of 9mm ammunition.
The Youth Violence Strike Force was present in the area due to recent shootings and weapon seizures around memorial sites for victims killed by gunfire. A memorial exists at 79 Bradeen Street for Dreshaun Johnson, 23, who was shot to death at a Roslindale gas station on April 8.
On April 11, police recovered 20 spent shell casings after a shooting at the memorial site for Johnson. On April 15, police recovered more than 100 spent shell casings after a shootout at a makeshift homicide memorial on Topliff Street in Dorchester.
District Attorney Kevin Hayden said his office will use every method available to prevent further gun violence in the city, including targeting repeat offenders and traffickers. Hayden described Dominique as an “imminent threat to the community.”
“This individual has a pending gun case, and then is caught again in possession of a gun, in this instance a ghost gun with a laser sight and 10 live rounds. One of the tools available to us is the ability to ask that defendants be held without bail due to the danger they pose to the community. We are judicious in how we use this power. This is a case where it is fully justified. This is the type of recklessness that destroys lives, and it will not be tolerated,” 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 legal 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