New Bedford Man Faces Gun Charges Tied to North End Shooting

NEW BEDFORD (WBSM) — An arrest made in New Bedford on July 10 for an illegal firearm has led to charges connected to a shooting incident earlier in the month on Roosevelt Street.

On July 10,  New Bedford police were conducting surveillance in the area of Nye Street and Acushnet Avenue when they observed a group of males drinking alcohol in public.

When officers approached them, they learned that one male had discarded a cross-body bag he had been wearing.

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Inside the bag, police said, was a magazine containing 10 rounds of 9mm ammunition. Officers also located a loaded Smith & Wesson handgun, which was later found to have been stolen out of Taunton.

Jose Mendez-Garcia, 33, was charged with possession of an open container of alcohol, carrying a loaded large-capacity firearm without a license, and receiving stolen property.

Days later, officers concluded an investigation into a shooting that took place on July 5 outside of 12 Roosevelt Street. As a result, an adult male victim was transported to St. Luke's Hospital with a gunshot injury.

Mendez-Garcia was identified as the suspect, and charges were brought against him.

Mendez-Garcia is now also charged with assault and battery by discharge of a firearm and discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a building, among other charges.

He has three prior guilty convictions for violent/drug offenses and was additionally charged with a firearm violation with three prior violent/drug crimes.

"This is strong work from the Detective Division on two occasions with the same suspect," New Bedford Police Chief Paul Oliveira said in a news release. "First, they took the suspect into custody, and an illegal firearm was taken off the street.  Next, they built a case that implicated the suspect in a shooting incident during which a victim was seriously injured.

"It's clear to me that a dangerous individual is in custody right now due to their diligence, and the city is a safer place today because of it.  I'm very proud of all the men and women in this department."