Boston police de-escalated an incident in Dorchester early Saturday morning in which a man with a gun told officers he had been experiencing suicidal ideation and then arrested the man and charged him with gun offenses, officials said.
The 24-year-old from Dorchester, whose name was not released, was treated at a local hospital and charged with carrying a loaded firearm without a license, unlawful possession of a loaded firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition, and possession of a large-capacity feeding device, according to a statement released by the Boston Police Department.
He is expected to be arraigned in the Dorchester division of Boston Municipal Court.
Around 1:30 a.m. Saturday, police responded to a ShotSpotter activation at the intersection of Geneva Avenue and Westville Street, according to the statement. Upon arrival, officers saw a man walking away from the location and attempted to speak with him, but the man ignored them and continued walking, police said.
As officers approached the man, they noticed a gun in the left pocket of his jacket, according to the statement. Upon spotting the gun, officers drew their firearms and ordered the man to stop and show them his hands. While officers held the man at gunpoint, he became emotional and spoke about his suicidal ideation before aiming the gun at his own head, according to the statement.
The officers used de-escalation tactics throughout the interaction in an attempt to disarm the man. After they engaged the man in conversation, he dropped his gun, and officers took him into custody, according to the statement.
Police recovered a Glock 19 Gen 5 9×19 Parabellum that had no serial number on the lower portion and was loaded with one 9mm Luger round in the chamber and 25 rounds in an extended magazine, according to the statement.
Boston police encourage anyone in need of emotional support or simply needing to talk about distressing events in the community to contact the Boston Neighborhood Trauma Team for free, private support at 617-431-0125.
Collin Robisheaux can be reached at collin.robisheaux@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @ColRobisheaux.