Springfield cops swiftly nabbed a man with an itchy trigger-finger yesterday, snagging a loaded gun off of him near a street corner with a recent history of gunfire. The suspect, identified as 39-year-old Jose Santiago, faces multiple weapon charges after a ShotSpotter detected shots fired, Springfield police said.
Law enforcement reacted to the tech's alert around 12:10 a.m. near School and High Streets, though they found no injuries or damage. Boots on the ground weren't enough, but the eagle-eyed specialists at the Police Department's Real-Time Analysis Center (R-TAC) kept watch. Cross-referencing surveillance footage, they called in a description of Santiago, who dared to return to the scene of the crime. According to the Springfield Police Department's official report, the officers were tipped off about Santiago's bold reappearance at around 3:45 a.m., catching him red-handed once more at the notorious intersection.
Cops found Santiago with his hands suspiciously near his waistband. A pat-down revealed the illegal firearm, snuggly secured on his person, bullets at the ready. After detaining him, Santiago was charged with discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a building, carrying a loaded firearm without a license, possession of a firearm, and carrying a dangerous weapon.
"Officers detained Santiago and seized an illegal firearm on his waist. The firearm was loaded with three rounds of ammunition," Springfield Police detailed. No strangers to danger, the officers defused a potentially deadly situation without harm. Santiago sits behind bars, as the justice system readies to weigh his fate.
