A Quincy man was charged today for using the bushes of a Boston playground to stash his loaded handgun – which is now missing, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney.
John T. Murrett, 26, was arraigned in the Boston Municipal Court this morning on one count of improper storage of a firearm, according to District Attorney Daniel F. Conley.
Prosecutors recommended bail of $500 and Judge Annette Forde released him on his own recognizance.
The charge stems from a Saturday night incident in Boston’s Theater District,when Murrett tried to enter Club Royale with a Ruger LC9 semiautomatic handgun, Conley said.
Club security patted him down and found the firearm; Murett presented his valid license to carry, but security turned him away because of the club’s no firearm policy.
Murrett said he walked a few blocks north on Tremont Street, stashed the gun under a bush at a nearby playground, then returned to the club and was allowed inside.
Around 1:30 am. Sunday, Murrett asked club security if anyone turned in a gun, saying it was stolen from his car. Security called police to report the incident, which is when Murrett admitted that he hid it in the bushes and it was no longer there.
“I always carry a firearm everywhere I go,” Murrett said, also telling police that the firearm was loaded with “seven bullets in the mag and one in the chamber” when he last saw it.
Boston Police immediately began searching the area for the gun but could not find it. They arrested Murrett and seized his license to carry.
“If the facts as we understand them are true, this was an act of staggering irresponsibility,” Conley said. “It means there’s yet another loaded gun on the streets of Boston, ready to be used in a robbery, a shooting, or worse. If anyone knows the whereabouts of that firearm, or any other illegal firearm, we urge them to call police and report it.”
