Two 18-year-old teens held without bail after shooting outside Brockton District Court

BROCKTON, Mass. — Two 18-year-old teenagers were held without bail in connection with a brazen daytime shooting that injured two people outside Brockton District Court on Monday, Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz said.

Antwon Barrett-Smith and Neandro Mendes, both 18, were arraigned on one count each of assault with a dangerous weapon, discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a building, carrying a firearm without a license, carrying a loaded firearm, possession of ammunition without an FID card, and disorderly conduct, Cruz said.

Mendes was additionally charged with one count of disturbing the peace.

Prosecutors moved for the men to be held without bail pending the outcome of a dangerousness hearing scheduled for Friday, July 14.

At approximately 12:30 p.m. Monday, police responded to several 911 calls reporting an active shooter near the Brockton District Court on Main Street. Courthouse personnel saw a fistfight taking place outside the courthouse moments before the shooting.

A male, later identified as Barrett-Smith, was seen brandishing what appeared to be a handgun just before gunshots were fired, Cruz said.

When officers arrived to the scene, they found a 37-year-old woman, identified by prosecutors as the mother of one of the teens now charged, suffering from a gunshot wound to her leg, prosecutors said in court Tuesday. She was taken by ambulance to Good Samaritan Medical Center.

Police later learned that a second shooting victim, a male, had been dropped off at a nearby hospital.

Prosecutors said that, prior to the shooting, Barrett-Smith was at the courthouse for other open cases. A fight broke out between Barrett-Smith and others outside the courthouse, including the male victim who was shot.

Surveillance video captured Barrett-Smith reaching into his pocket with his right hand just before the male shooting victim grabbed his leg when he was shot, prosecutors said. Barrett-Smith then ran from the area.

Surveillance video captured Barrett-Smith running from the area with an object that appeared to be a gun in his hand, prosecutors said. On nearby Maple Street, video captured him bending down behind a white vehicle where officers later located a loaded .40 caliber “ghost” gun, and investigators also found a spent .40 shell casing in Barrett-Smith’s path.

A short time later, prosecutors said Barrett-Smith returned to the shooting scene, and he was placed under arrest.

The brazen shooting had witnesses and pedestrians running from the area and ducking for cover, said prosecutors, adding that surveillance video captured the midday chaos outside the courthouse in downtown Brockton.

Shortly after the shooting, while on Maple Avenue, investigators found a male allegedly involved in the shooting, who was wearing clothing matching a description being broadcast by police radio. That male, later identified as Mendes, was placed under arrest.

Barrett-Smith just graduated from high school, his defense attorney said in court. He entered a not-guilty plea on his behalf, arguing that about five minutes before the shooting, Barrett-Smith had just been in the courthouse and he went through security and through metal detectors.

Barrett-Smith’s defense attorney argued that his client was not seen discharging a firearm, and that two guns were recovered and two others fled the scene “that were not Barrett-Smith.”

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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