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Che Meranda, 31, of Boston, drove through North Cambridge in August 2021, exchanging shots with another man along Pemberton and Middlesex streets with his two young children in the car, the Middlesex District Attorney's Office said.
Luckily, no one was injured in the duel, but multiple cars were damaged by stray bullets, authorities said at the time.
Meranda was found guilty last week of two counts of assault with intent to kill, assault with a dangerous weapon, two counts of carrying a firearm and carrying a firearm while loaded, possession of ammunition, two counts of reckless endangerment of a child, and discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a building, the prosecutor said.
Maurice Morris, who investigators say was in the other car returning fire, goes on trial in October. He's charged with possession of a firearm without an FID card, possession of ammunition without an FID card, armed assault to murder, assault and battery with a firearm, and discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a building, the prosecutor said.
“This type of gun violence cannot be tolerated in our communities. It is difficult to assess which is worse, that Mr. Meranda fired multiple rounds while his vehicle was traveling through a densely populated area during a time when many people were outside or that he was engaged in a gun battle while his two small children were in the car," said District Attorney Marian Ryan. "While incredibly, no one was struck, the risk that was created is staggering."
Ryan called on lawmakers to do more to address gun violence and give prosecutors more tools to fight against it.
She partnered with Representative Marjorie C. Decker on bill H2433 to create a new felony for shooters who act “without regard for the risk of serious bodily injury to another” but who shoot intentionally or recklessly and “causes a substantial risk of serious bodily injury," Ryan said.
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