A 16-year-old has been charged with felony weapons possession after Elmira police recovered a loaded privately manufactured handgun while investigating reports of gunfire early Monday morning.
According to the Elmira Police Department, officers began hearing six to seven gunshots coming from the city’s Eastside at approximately 2 a.m. on Monday. Although police were unable to immediately determine the exact location of the gunfire, officers responded to the area of East Second Street and High Street, where they encountered a group of people standing on the sidewalk.
Police noted that just five days earlier, on June 24, a confirmed shooting had occurred at the same intersection, where multiple shell casings were recovered.
While speaking with the group, officers determined that one of the individuals, a 16-year-old juvenile, was carrying a loaded 9mm privately manufactured semi-automatic handgun, commonly referred to as a “ghost gun.” The firearm was loaded with four live rounds of 9mm ammunition, according to police.
The teen was taken into custody without incident and charged with second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, a Class C felony.
The Elmira Police Department is continuing to investigate Monday’s reported gunfire and is asking anyone with information about the incident or the earlier shooting to contact the department at 607-737-5626 or its anonymous tip line at 271-HALT.
Because the suspect is a juvenile, the individual’s name has not been released.
