A routine Friday afternoon patrol in Dorchester turned into a gun arrest and a missing-person recovery after Boston police say they found a handgun in a teenager's backpack near Morrissey Boulevard.
Officers arrested a 15-year-old and recovered a reported missing 14-year-old during the same stop, with the older teen now facing several weapons-related charges, according to Boston 25 News.
Police say the patrols ramped up around 2:49 p.m. Friday in the Pope Hill area after a department-wide alert that a missing 14-year-old might be carrying a firearm, Boston 25 News reported. Officers spotted six people walking toward Morrissey Boulevard and followed them into a business parking lot at 875 Morrissey Boulevard, where they positively identified one member of the group as the missing juvenile.
Inside a 15-year-old's backpack, officers recovered a firearm, according to Boston 25 News. The outlet reports that the magazine, which can hold six rounds, contained two live .380-caliber rounds.
The 15-year-old was charged with unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition, carrying a loaded firearm, and possessing a firearm with a defaced serial number.
What the law says
Massachusetts law treats defaced or untraceable guns as a serious offense. Possession of a firearm with a removed or altered serial number falls under G.L. c. 269 §11C, which creates a prima facie presumption that possession indicates guilt, although that presumption can be challenged in court.
Because the suspect is a juvenile, any delinquency proceedings would typically be handled in the Suffolk County Juvenile Court system, including the Dorchester Juvenile Court session.
Police response and local context
The Boston Police Department has leaned on intelligence-led patrols and youth-violence teams to clamp down on young people accessing firearms, a strategy described in earlier department statements, including a 2025 Youth Violence Strike Force release from the Boston Police Department.
Officials have not yet shared how the weapon ended up with the group near Morrissey Boulevard, and investigators say the case remains under active investigation.
