The man shot on Westminster Street in Springfield Thursday night has died.
Springfield Police Department spokesman Ryan Walsh told 22News 32-year-old Donte King and 27-year-old Aaron Kelly-Griffin have been charged with armed assault with the intent to commit a robbery in connection with the shooting death.
Officers were called to the 0-100 block of Westminster Street for a ShotSpotter activation at around 4 p.m., where they found the gunshot victim. He was taken to Baystate Medical Center, but did not survive his injuries.
One contractor, who had been working on a house next door, told 22News, police had arrived within minutes of the shooting and surrounded the whole place.
“And all of a sudden I hear fireworks, like five shots, like pow, and it was like somebody got shot right next door,” said Victor Valentin of Springfield. “So, I ran inside the house ’cause I was scared for my safety and it was like totally shocking.”
One concerned neighbor who’s lived on the street for nearly 20 years, told 22News, a shooting is uncommon in the area.
Walsh said King was arrested earlier this week on Monday with a loaded firearm in his pocket.
Springfield’s mayor had some harsh words after the very recent arrest of one of the two men allegedly involved in Thursday’s homicide.
Mayor Sarno said he was aggravated to find out one of the two suspects charged in connection with the deadly shooting had been arrested earlier in the week on gun charges. He said “the revolving door of our court system” is to blame.
“Two days ago, this negative individual was picked up, a violent repeat criminal offender, on gun charges and is right back on the streets, and low and behold, what do they do, they’re involved in a fatal shooting,” Mayor Sarno said.
Mayor Sarno released a full statement Friday offering condolences to the affected families and commenting on the deadly incident. It reads in part:
“Donte King was just arrested on stolen and loaded gun charges on July 3rd and
promptly let go by our court system. Oh, I know some judges and defense attorneys will say, ‘Mr.Mayor, you don’t understand the bail system, its only supposed to be to make sure a violent repeat offender comes back to court’ – well, Mr. King did, but now it’s to do with a fatal shooting – ‘what the hell does it take to hold and keep these repeat violent offenders off our streets and out of our
neighborhoods!”
The mayor went on to say, “I wonder at times, if some judges are more prone to protecting and coddling violent repeat offenders than protecting our law abiding citizens. To the state legislature – pass my bail review legislation and question judges before someone else gets killed by a violent repeat offender.”
During King’s arraignment Thursday, a judge set his bail at $250,000 and revoked his bail in Monday’s case.
The Springfield Police Department’s Homicide Unit is continuing to look into what led up to the deadly shooting.
Related: 1 person hospitalized with serious injuries after shooting on Westminster St.