Special to the Independent
An Everett man has been ordered held without bail pending a dangerousness hearing Monday after he was arraigned yesterday for possessing a 9mm Glock fitted with a switch device to make it a fully-automatic weapon, Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden announced.
Elijah Carvalho, 22, was arraigned in Dorchester BMC Thursday on charges of possessing a machine gun, possessing a loaded machine gun, possessing a large-capacity magazine, receiving an untraceable firearm, possessing a firearm and ammunition without a license, and possession of a Class A substance. Judge Steven Kim ordered Carvalho held without bail pending a dangerousness hearing on Monday.
On Wednesday afternoon members of the Boston Youth Violence Strike Force became aware of an incident that had occurred earlier that day in the Central Division of Boston Municipal Court involving rival gang members. Officers later learned that one of the people allegedly involved in the incident was in the Coleus Park area of Dorchester and possibly seeking to retaliate against rival gang members. Officers received a description of the person as wearing a black balaclava and a distinctive gray Nike “tech” sweatshirt with a black zipper and black Nike logo.
Aware that Coleus Park is flanked by two middle schools, and with dismissal time approaching, officers immediately converged on the area and spotted a man matching the exact description. The man, later identified as Carvalho, was walking along Lawrence Avenue, close to the Martin Luther King Jr. elementary school and Coleus Park.
Officers conducted a pat frisk of Carvalho and immediately felt an “L” shaped object in his waistband. Upon officers discovering the object, Carvalho bent at the waist to prevent a further frisk. Officers eventually placed Carvalho in handcuffs and recovered 9mm Glock 19 fitted with a machine gun conversion device. The gun had one round in the chamber and 15 rounds in the high-capacity magazine. The firearm’s serial numbers were obliterated.
Officers also found six small round white pills consistent with pressed fentanyl, often passed off as Oxycodone in street drug markets.
“These converted weapons are alarming both for their firepower and for their uncontrollability, meaning there’s a distressing scenario of anyone close to the aim area being struck and injured, or worse. These officers acted quickly and with appropriate concern for the potential danger present here,” 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.