HOPEDALE, Mass. — Police in Hopedale made a shocking discovery inside a man's home after a neighbor alerted police he heard bullets flying close to his home.
Gunshots are not a common occurrence in the small town of Hopedale, which is why police could've never imagined they'd find the staggering stash they discovered this past weekend.
"We had no idea what we were going into," said Hopedale Police Sergeant Steve Mahan.
What police were going into, initially, was a live shooter situation at around 3:25 p.m. on Saturday.
Dispatchers took a 911 call which reported gunshots near a wooden area of Highland Road.
"Well we heard what we thought were some fireworks maybe," the 911 caller told Boston 25 News reporter Jim Morelli, who asked to remain anonymous.
"(We heard the bullets) hit the branches. So that's what drove us to say 'hey, this is not fireworks,'" said the 911 caller.
The gunshots were coming inside a home, and police say they feared someone might be inside and injured.
"We began searching the bottom floor of the residence through a door off the hallway and the kitchen," Segeant Mahan said.
At that point, police found a room filled with numerous marijuana plants. On the second floor, police say they found a man, passed out in bed and armed.
"He had a loaded revolver in his hand," Sergeant Mahan said.
The man has been identified as 51-year-old Edward Fitzgerald. Police say he's a 'career criminal' who had no license to own guns.
Despite him not having a gun license, there were plenty of guns on the property. Police also found grenades and large caliber rounds.
Fitzgerald remains jailed tonight while he awaits a dangerousness hearing this Thursday. Police say Fitzgerald's roommate was also arrested today on drug charges after they found cocaine and ecstasy on the property.
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