New Bedford Police Investigating Shots Fired at Rural Cemetery

NEW BEDFORD — New Bedford police are investigating an incident of shots fired that took place in a city cemetery over the weekend.

Police spokesman Lt. Scott Carola said south end units responded to a ShotSpotter gunshot detection system activation at Rural Cemetery at around 2 a.m. on Sunday morning.

They arrived to find multiple spent shell casings in the cemetery behind Little People's College, which is on Rockdale Avenue.

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Carola said no injuries were reported, and there was no apparent property damage.

The shots fired incident comes less than one week after 29-year-old Fall River man Derek Pires was shot to death at Dartmouth and Dunbar streets, just a few blocks away.

Carola declined to say if the two incidents could be related, but noted that detectives are actively investigating.

Pires' murder on March 13 marked the first homicide in New Bedford this year.

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