Recovered gun tied to Mattapan massacre

Recovered gun tied to Mattapan massacre

By Laura Crimaldi | Wednesday, October 13, 2010 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Local Coverage

Photo by Mark Garfinkel

One of the firearms recovered from the Dorchester apartment of the lone suspect in the Mattapan massacre that killed four people, including a toddler, has been tied to the shooting spree, prosecutors said today.

Kimani Washington, 34, admitted to police that two firearms seized from his mother’s apartment a day after the killings belonged to him, said Suffolk Assistant District Attorney Edmond Zabin. Zabin said that ballistics evidence links one of those firearms to the fatal shootings.

“He admitted to the possession of the guns, admitted to the possession of the victim’s car and also admitted to the possession of a large quantity of crack cocaine which was recovered from that same vehicle,’’ Zabin said.

Washington, who was arrested in Manchester, N.H., on Oct. 1, pleaded not guilty in Dorchester District Court to charges including cocaine trafficking and facing a new career criminal firearms charge. The latter charge applies to suspects with three or more convictions for crimes involving drugs or violences and carries a minimum sentence of 15 years, Zabin said.

Washington is not charged with murder. Eyanna Louise Flonory, 21; her son, Amani Smith, 2; Simba Martin, 21; and Levaughn Washum-Garrison, 22, were shot dead on Woolson Street in Mattapan on Sept. 28. A fifth man, Marcus Hurd, 32, remains hospitalized in critical condition.

Judge Rosalind Miller revoked Washington’s bail on an open assault case and set bail at $500,000 on the new charges. He is due back in court Nov. 5.

Zabin described the crime scene for the first time publicly, saying authorities found the naked bodies of Martin and Hurd in the street while Washum-Garrison lay nearby. Flonory was found on the sidewalk holding her son, who suffered multiple gunshot wounds, Zabin said.

Court records show Martin sustained gunshot wounds that struck his heart, skull, lung and iliac artery. A search of his home on nearby Sutton Street on Oct. 1 recovered a substance believed to be marijuana, court records said. The other items seized in the search are under court seal.

Authorities caught up to Washington in Grove Hall shortly after the shooting, acting on information from Hurd, who told authorities the shooters stole his rented Ford Edge. Washington turned over the keys to authorities and was taken into custody, but cops did not have enough evidence to charge him.

The next day, Washington abruptly ended a phone call with his mother, who called him from home as cops searched her Fowler Street apartment, Zabin said.

Defense attorney John Salsberg declined to make a bail argument on the grounds he had not received police recordings of Washington’s statements and other evidence.

“I’m not in a position to argue bail,” he said. “I’d like to get a copy of whatever taped statements he has given.”

Flonory’s aunt said her family is seeking justice.

“We want justice for Eyanna and Amani,” said Theresa Payne.

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