Man Charged With Gun Crimes in Connection to Mansfield Homicide

MANSFIELD (WBSM) — A Massachusetts man has been charged with gun crimes in connection to Saturday’s fatal shooting in Mansfield.

The Bristol County District Attorney’s Office announced Sunday morning that William O’Brien, 22, of Manchester-By-The-Sea, faces two gun charges in connection to Saturday’s fatal shooting of Samuel P. Waters, 23, of Mansfield.

O’Brien, who the D.A’s Office said “is being charged at this time with carrying an illegal firearm and carrying a loaded illegal firearm,” was detained Saturday during the investigation and will be arraigned Monday morning in Attleboro District Court.

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A 911 call at 11:11 a.m. Saturday morning reported a shooting at 42 West Church Street, where first responders found Waters already deceased.

Massachusetts State Police detectives assigned to the district attorney's office, Homicide Unit prosecutors and Mansfield Police continue to investigate the homicide.

In July 2021, a William O’Brien also from Manchester-By-The-Sea and the same age as the Mansfield suspect was sentenced to two and a half years in state prison after pleading guilty to gun charges.

O’Brien pleaded guilty then to two counts each of carrying a firearm and carrying a loaded firearm without a license, and one count each of illegal possession of ammunition and permitting operation of a motor vehicle by an unlicensed operator.

The charges stemmed from an October 2020 traffic stop in which O’Brien was found in possession of two loaded guns without a license to carry. He also received two years of probation as part of that sentence.