Man Found Guilty in Connection with 2021 North Cambridge Shooting

Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan and Cambridge Police Commissioner Christine Elow have announced that Che Meranda, 31 of Boston, was found guilty last week by a Middlesex Superior Court jury of two counts of assault with intent to kill, assault with a dangerous weapon, two counts of carrying a firearm and carrying a firearm while loaded, possession of ammunition, two counts of reckless endangerment of a child and discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a building.  These charges stem from an incident in August, 2021 in which Meranda drove through North Cambridge firing multiple rounds from his car at another man.

On August 25, 2021, shortly before 6:00 p.m., Cambridge Police received multiple calls for gunshots in the area of Pemberton and Middlesex Streets. When police arrived on scene they located a vehicle with obvious signs of ballistic damage.

Further investigation revealed that Meranda and the other man, identified as Maurice Morris, exchanged gunfire while they were in separate vehicles in the area of Rindge Avenue and Clifton Circle. Several shell casings were located in the roadway from the intersection of Rindge Avenue and Clifton Circle to the intersection of Rindge Avenue and Clifton Place. Following the shooting Meranda fled the vehicle but was ultimately identified by investigators after a review of surveillance footage and by interviewing witnesses at the scene.

“This type of gun violence cannot be tolerated in our communities.  It is difficult to assess which is worse, that  Mr. Meranda fired multiple rounds while his vehicle was traveling through a densely populated area during a time when many people were outside or that he was engaged in a gun battle while his two small children were in the car. While incredibly, no one was struck, the risk that was created is staggering,” said District Attorney Ryan. “To truly address this type of gun violence we must aggressively address it through both enforcement and meaningful change to strengthen our gun laws,” District Attorney Ryan continued.

"There was some incredible work by several members of our department, starting with the initial response by patrol officers to a comprehensive investigation by our detectives, through the preparation for the trial, and the trial itself," said Cambridge Police Commissioner Christine Elow. "I'm very proud of their hard and diligent work on what was a very concerning act of violence that we will not accept in our community." 

Middlesex District Attorney Ryan has proposed a bill to create a new felony offense to appropriately punish a shooter who acts “without regard for the risk of serious bodily injury to another” but who shoots intentionally or recklessly and “hereby causes a substantial risk of serious bodily injury." The bill, H2433 “An Act relative to the reckless discharge of firearms” was filed in partnership with Representative Marjorie C. Decker.

Maurice Morris was charged with Carrying a Loaded Firearm Without a License, Carrying a Firearm without a License, Possession of a Firearm Without an FID Card, Possession of Ammunition Without an FID Card, Armed Assault to Murder, Assault and Battery with a Firearm, Discharging a Firearm within 500 Feet of a Building.  That case is scheduled for trial on October 23, 2023, in Middlesex Superior Court.

The prosecutors assigned to this case were Ashlee Mastrangelo and Edward Kim.

This case was investigated by the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office, Cambridge Police, State Police assigned to the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office, The U.S. Marshals Service, Boston Police Department, Everett Police Department, Medford Police Department and the Somerville Police Department.