Brockton man held without bail on ‘ghost gun’ charge

A Brockton man was held without bail Thursday following his arrest for illegal possession of a “ghost gun” in Roslindale, the Suffolk district attorney’s office said.

Vanell Dominique, 20, was arraigned on charges of illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition and carrying a loaded firearm at the West Roxbury division of the Boston Municipal Court, the district attorney’s office said in a statement.

He is expected to return for a dangerousness hearing on April 26.

“This individual has a pending gun case, and then is caught again in possession of a gun, in this instance a ghost gun with a laser sight and 10 live rounds,” District Attorney Kevin Hayden said. “This is the type of recklessness that destroys lives, and it will not be tolerated.”

The arrest came amid an increased police presence in the area of Roslindale where a man was fatally shot earlier this month, the statement said.

Around 7 p.m., officers assigned to the Youth Violence Strike Force approached a vehicle in the parking lot of the Florence Apartments at 79 Bradeen St., the statement said.

The vehicle was not yet inspected and contained three men, including Dominique, who police knew had “pending firearms cases,” prosecutors said.

Officers searched the vehicle and found Dominique in possession of a loaded 9mm “ghost gun,” or one that does not have a serial number, according to the statement.

The car was parked near a memorial for Dreshaun Johnson, 23, who was shot to death on April 8 outside a gas station on Washington Street, the statement said.

Dominique’s pending firearms charge is not related to the gas station shooting, a spokesman for Hayden said.