Yesterday afternoon in Mattapan, Boston Police Officers from District B-3 found themselves engaged in more than just a routine patrol—they were at the culmination of an active firearm investigation involving a young Dorchester resident. This intersection of preparedness and opportunity resulted in an arrest and the seizure of an alarming array of weaponry and contraband, including a black rifle, a second firearm, and a trove of drugs.
Officers had previously garnered information about Kesner Forestdale, a 20-year-old from Dorchester, and his alleged possession of multiple firearms, they spotted Forestdale, duffel bag in tow, around Harvard Street and Standish Street, observing as he traversed the neighborhood sidewalks with a bearing that attracted police scrutiny, in a time where community members are urging for the interception of gun violence, an issue that continues to gnaw at the peace in many Boston areas.
Their surveillance led to an encounter near the junction of Harvard and Bernard Streets, where officers initiated a stop and subsequently—a pat frisk of his duffel bag unfolded into an unexpected jostle, Forestdale attempted to escape which catapulted into a violent altercation, one officer bore the brunt of aggression to the face, but the scuffle was resolved with the suspect in handcuffs and the foreboding contents of his bag laid bare.
The duffel yielded its secrets: two firearms—a Smith and Wesson M&P 15-22 Rifle with a twenty-two round magazine and a Springfield Armory XD9 with sixteen rounds, and alongside these instruments of potential destruction, officers unearthed multiple plastic bags containing drugs that insinuated the dark enterprise that Forestdale might have been undertaking, Forestdale's arrest bringing with it a multitude of charges that will usher him into the Dorchester District Court to face the consequences of his alleged actions.
According to a statement obtained by Boston Police Department, Forestdale is facing a slew of charges including: Unlawful Possession of a Firearm, Carrying a Loaded Rifle on a Public Way, Unlawful Possession of Ammunition without an FID Card, Two Counts of Unlawful Possession of a Loaded Firearm, Two Counts of a Large Capacity Feeding Device, Possession with Intent to Distribute Class A, Possession with Intent to Distribute Class B, Resist Arrest, and Assault and Battery on a Police Officer—charges reflecting both the severity and the multifaceted nature of the incident, an incident that could've spelled greater turmoil had it gone undetected by vigilant officers.
