Continued law enforcement pressure by the Springfield Police Department in the Union, School, Temple and High streets area has resulted in 11 arrests, including one murder suspect, and the seizure of trafficking weights of heroin and cocaine within a 48-hour period, authorities said.
Springfield Police Superintendent Cheryl C. Clapprood announced the initiative Saturday, saying over the course of the 48 hours, the department’s Homicide Unit and Firearms Investigation Unit were active in the target area. One of the arrests was for the shooting death of Shawn Delgado on State Street.
According to police reports, on June 19, officers responded to a ShotSpotter activate near the 600 block of State Street and found a man, later identified as Delgado, with a gunshot wound. He was taken to the Baystate Medical Center where he later died of his injuries.
Meanwhile, the Firearms Investigation Unit and members of the Hampden County Sheriff’s Department raided a building at 41-49 School St. Friday and arrested 23-year-old Michael Perez-Cruz, of Renee Circle in Springfield, as he jumped out a window to escape capture. He was identified as a suspect in Delgado’s death.
Perez-Cruz was charged with murder with a firearm, related firearms violations and possession of cocaine.
In that same raid, police arrested 25-year-old Manuel Torres and 25-year-old Hector Lopez.
Torres, of Beyers Street, was charged with two counts of possession of a loaded machine gun, possession of a ghost gun, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and related firearms violations, as well as possession of trafficking weight of between 36 and 100 grams of cocaine and possession with the intent to distribute a Class B substance.
The machine guns Torres was charged with possessing were standard Glock handguns fitted with special switches that converted them to fully automatic operation. Police also seized trafficking weight of crack cocaine and additional rounds of ammunition.
Lopez, of St. James Avenue, was charged with possession of a Class B substance and trespassing.
On Wednesday, the Firearms Investigation Unit staked out a known drug dealer‘s Santa Barbara Street address, and after seeing evidence of drug activity applied for a search warrant. As they waited for the warrant, the suspect left the home and drove to a Page Boulevard convenience store, where they made a vehicle stop and arrested her.
During the arrest of 25-year-old Shakira Molinary, officers seized a ghost gun, 27 grams of crack cocaine and 37 grams of heroin as well as ammunition for the firearm.
She was charged with six counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, two counts of possession of a firearm without an FID and two counts of possession of ammunition without and FID.
On Thursday, members of the Firearms Investigation Unit and the Hampden County Sheriff’s Department staked out the area around Union and School streets and observed 25-year-old Alex Sempit conducting drug sales. As Sempit drove from the area, police made a vehicle stop and arrested him near the intersection of Main and Margaret streets. Detectives seized more than 100 grams of crack and powder cocaine as well as 10 bags of marijuana and $2,462 in cash.
He was charged with trafficking in cocaine between 100 and 200 grams and possession with the intent to distribute a Class D substance.
Several other individuals were arrested for lesser offenses related to the above arrests.
During the course of the initiative, 11 people were trespassed and removed from the building at 41-49 School St., authorities said.
