At least two of three men facing weapons charges in connection with the deadly chaos that erupted at a Northboro house party and left a 16-year-old dead early on Mother’s Day face deportation, according to court proceedings Monday.
Wallisom Texeira Da Silva, 20, of Hyde Park; Arnoldo Nogueira Filho, 19, of Marlboro; and Pedro Desouza-Passos, 27, of Rockland, each appeared hidden behind a board in Westboro District Court on Monday.
Da Silva, the only defendant charged with felony possession of a firearm in addition to illegal possession of ammunition, was ordered held pending a dangerousness hearing later in May. Filho and Desouza-Passos, each charged with illegal possession of ammunition, were ordered held on $45,000 and $25,000 cash bail respectively.
Desouza-Passos has a criminal record with multiple defaults in court but no convictions, attorneys said Monday. Da Silva and Filho both had ICE detainers lodged against them, and all three used a Portuguese translator in court.
The men were arrested after police received reports of a firearm at a house party at 333 Howard Street attended by several hundred people after 1 a.m. Sunday, arriving to hear several shots fired and chaos erupting.
Inside the home, officers found a 16-year-old boy shot. The Bellingham teen — whose identity has not yet been publicly released — was pronounced dead at UMass Memorial Hospital shortly after.
Videos taken by partygoers and obtained by the Herald show scenes of a fight breaking out in the packed house before the videographer turns and runs out in a panicked crowd, a young man on the ground surrounded by police and responders, and the young man being carried by four officers before he goes limp and responders begin chest compressions on the ground.
“It does touch all of us; it hits hard,” said the partygoer who took two videos at the scene, who said he goes by Brazil 360, speaking of the interconnected Brazilian community in the area.
Another 17-year-old was also shot in the backside, transported to Marlboro Hospital and released, according to police. Others at the party were reportedly injured in the chaos but not taken to the hospital.
Da Silva, Filho and Desouza-Passos were found in a vehicle several hours after the shots just before 3 a.m., according to their criminal complaints.
The car was being driven by a young woman, who had the party hosted in honor of her 21st birthday, and all three defendants were in the back seat, police said. With them, they allegedly had two purses with one partially empty 9mm 30-round magazines and two loose 9mm bullets. Da Silva’s passport was found in one bag, police said, and he claimed ownership of the bag, which held one of the 9 mm bullets.
When a 9mm firearm was later found in the grass near the house, Da Silva also claimed ownership of the gun, police said.
Neither Filho nor Desouza-Passos claimed ownership of any of the bags, ammunition or the single firearm, the report states.
During the arraignment, Filho’s defense attorney argued there was no evidence of a connection between his client and the ammunition or anything to suggest the 19-year-old was not simply “at the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Desouza-Passos’s attorney Jason Wadman argued that the lack of detail in the Commonwealth’s filings was grounds for dismissal.
“There’s no indication of why the vehicle was pulled over to the Statement of Facts; there’s no indication of why vehicle was being searched in the Statement of Facts,” said Wadman, adding that his client was not nervous in his interaction with the police and did not claim any of the items found in the car.
The 16-year-old victim’s mother and sister sat through the arraignments and exited the court room silently Monday.
Da Silva is scheduled to return to Westboro District Court for a dangerousness hearing on May 20. Filho and Desouza-Passos will also appear on May 20 for hearings.
