UTICA, N.Y. In a shooting incident on Rutger Street, two adolescents were charged after it was discovered that one of the suspects was using a 3D printer to manufacture rifles and parts. The arrests were made public by the Utica Police Department on Thursday, emphasizing how surveillance technology helped solve the case.
Around 7:00 p.m. on January 21, 2025, the incident took place. Spent shot casings and indications of gunfire striking a car and house were found by police responding to the 700 block of Rutger Street. Investigators were able to identify many people connected to the incident by using surveillance footage and information from the FLOCK license plate reader system to identify the registered owner of one of the implicated vehicles.
The gun used in the shooting was discovered in the possession of a 16-year-old boy who lived at a house on Mary Street. At the house, police also found a 3D printer and many handgun parts in various stages of production. The kid was charged with criminal possession of a handgun and criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree after the printer and its components were confiscated. He was detained until his Family Court arraignment.
According to fresh information released on January 22, the gunman was a male 14-year-old. After transporting him for interrogation, police charged him with reckless endangerment in the first degree, criminal possession of a firearm, and criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree.
The teenagers’ identities have not been made public due to their age.
The Utica Police Department said that this case demonstrates the effectiveness of technology expenditures like the FLOCK system and the GIVE Grant, which continue to enhance the department’s efforts to reduce gun violence.
