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New Bedford Rampage Shooter Sentenced to up to Two Decades in Prison

Bristol County District Attorney’s Office
Thomas M. Quinn III
District Attorney

Press Release
July 19, 2021

A 28-year-old New Bedford man who went on a shooting rampage on Halloween weekend in 2018 was sentenced recently to serve 15 to 20 years in state prison, Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III announced.

Joshua Perry pleaded guilty on June 28 in Fall River Superior Court to a litany of indictments charging him with armed assault with intent to murder, five count of assault with a dangerous weapon, two counts of attempted assault and battery by means of a firearm discharge, two counts of assault and battery by firearm discharge, five counts of unlawful possession of a large capacity firearm, one count of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon-causing serious bodily injury and one count of possession of cocaine.

This case involved four separate shootings in New Bedford on October 28, 2018 and the execution of two search warrants which led to the recovery of high capacity firearms and/or feeding devices.

At approximately 12:33 am, New Bedford police were dispatched to 865 County Street for the report of a shooting. The police spoke to the first floor occupants, a 29 year old man and his 26 year old girlfriend. They stated that they were watching TV in their apartment while their six year old twins and five year old son were sleeping in their beds. Without warning, thirteen bullets struck their apartment. Ballistics damage was located on windows and in the siding of the house. Ballistics projectiles were located inside of the home and the police noted that several bullets travelled completely through the apartment and went through several walls. No one was hit by any of the gunfire.

The upstairs apartment of 865 County Street was rented by the defendant’s sister and her boyfriend, who were in their apartment with their four children and two god children when the shooting occurred. The sister later told investigator she was at home when the defendant showed up at her apartment without warning just after midnight. She said that her brother was not himself and alternated between rage and sorrow. While she was standing with her brother outside of her apartment, without warning, the defendant pulled out a gun and emptied the clip into her neighbor’s apartment. The defendant then immediately left the area.

After the County Street shooting, the defendant and three friends went to the Slainte Bar. They were in the bar for a little over an hour. When they left the bar, they all got into the defendant’s friend’s white Mercedes. They drove a short distance before pulling over on School Street. where the defendant exited the car. At that time, a 24-year-old man was driving his 22-year old girlfriend down School Street after a Halloween party. The couple told the police that as they were driving, they saw a man with a distinct shirt standing next to a white Mercedes. The man walked towards them waving his arms. The male driver swerved around the defendant, who pulled out a firearm and shot three bullets into their car. Neither of the victims were injured but the car did sustain ballistics damage.

After the School Street shooting, the defendant got back into the Mercedes and they drove around New Bedford looking for an after-hours Halloween party on County Street. When they couldn’t immediately find the location of the party, they pulled into a small driveway. At the time, two young men were walking down County Street. The two men had just met at the Halloween party and left to smoke some marijuana. They were walking back to the party when they walked behind the Mercedes. Without warning, the defendant exited the car and yelled at the young men. As one of the defendant’s friends got out of the car in an attempt to deescalate the incident, the defendant pulled out his gun and began shooting at the two young men. One young man was shot multiple times in his stomach and leg. He was in the hospital for more than a month before he was transferred to a long term rehabilitation hospital with serious and life-long injuries including a colostomy bag which he had for several months. The other young man was shot twice and also sustained serious injuries. He has since been released from the hospital.

After this third shooting, the defendant drove himself and his three friends to one of their apartments. The defendant continued to act out of control. At one point, the defendant exited the apartment and shot several rounds of ammunition into the air. Shot Spotter alerted New Bedford Police to these shootings and they responded to the area. Once they were on scene, the officers discovered shell casings and saw the white Mercedes, the same type of vehicle they were searching for in connection to the School Street shooting. As they looked into the car, the defendant exited the apartment and approached the officers. At the time, Mr. Perry had a large knife on him and he was taken into custody. Once back at the police station, New Bedford officers discovered a small amount of marijuana and a large bag of cocaine on the defendant’s person. The large bag of cocaine totaled 14 grams.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Jason Mohan and the state prison sentence was imposed by Judge Robert Cosgrove.

“The defendant went on a shooting rampage that seriously injured two people and very easily could have resulted in loss of life to others. He even fired into an apartment where several children were residing. The defendant’s conduct is difficult to comprehend but can only be described as outrageous and extremely violent. He clearly is a menace to society and needs to be kept off the street for a very long time to protect the public,” District Attorney Quinn said.

Contact:
Gregg Miliote
Director of Communications
774-292-9576