SPRINGFIELD — Following a ShotSpotter activation, Springfield Police Officers from Squad C and the C3 Unit apprehended an armed suspect and confiscated a loaded firearm and crack-cocaine Monday night.
At about 8:50 p.m., the officers responded to a gunfire alert on the 100 block of Dawes Street.
Already in the vicinity, they spotted an individual matching the description of the suspect on Catherine Street.
The man, later identified as 22-year-old Melvin Mercedes-Rodriguez of Springfield, was detained on the 700 block of State Street.
Police discovered a loaded firearm with an obliterated serial number, capable of holding 13 rounds, concealed in Mercedes-Rodriguez’s waistband.
Additionally, officers seized roughly 14 grams of crack-cocaine from him.
Mercedes-Rodriguez now faces multiple charges, including discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a building, carrying a loaded firearm without a license, and possession of a firearm with a defaced serial number during the commission of a felony.
He is also charged with possession of a large capacity firearm and high-capacity magazine during the commission of a felony, carrying a firearm on school grounds, possession with intent to distribute a Class B drug, and drug violation near a school or park.
