Man fatally shot after ‘minor road traffic incident’ in central Plymouth

Local news

David Jerome, 23, faces several charges in connection with the shooting, including murder, child endangerment and possession of a large capacity feeding device.

Officials said a 23-year-old man allegedly shot and killed another Plymouth resident following a minor road rage incident in downtown Plymouth on Friday evening.

David Jerome, of Plymouth, was arrested in the city parking lot on Middle Street, where the shooting occurred around 5:45 p.m., announced Tim Cruz, Plymouth County District Attorney. Jerome faces multiple charges in connection with the shooting, including murder, child endangerment and possession of a large capacity feeding device.

The prosecutor says Jerome and the other man were involved in a “minor road traffic incident and physical altercation.” Brent Berkeley, 41, was then shot multiple times and transported to Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in Plymouth, where he died.

“We won’t speculate on what the motive was or whether it was road rage or not,” Cruz – he said at a press conference. “There was clearly a lot of rage that evening.”

Cruz said Jerome had a legal permit to carry a gun, meaning he had no prior convictions. He also faces charges of discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a building, improper storage of a firearm, negligent operation of a motor vehicle and improper storage of ammunition.

Witnesses identified Jerome as the alleged shooter, and Plymouth police arrested him, prosecutors said. Jerome’s 18-month-old son was riding in the back of his Toyota Rav 4.

Independent from Plymouth reported that witnesses saw Jerome trying to save Berkeley by performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation. The news organization reported that Jerome allegedly fired a high-capacity handgun – the same type he described on his Facebook page.

“We live in a world right now where a lot of people have a short fuse and terrible things happen very quickly and can escalate very quickly,” Cruz said. “Unfortunately, look at the aftermath, look at what’s going on, look at how one family has lost someone forever and another family is going to have to deal with major issues and it’s impacting the community.”

Plymouth tavern raises money for victim’s children, partner

The city parking lot on Middle Street is located near ul Speedwell Tavernwhere Berkeley’s partner works. Cruz said the area was shut down for about 45 minutes.

Speedwell Tavern owner Jordan Chabot wrote on Facebook that the restaurant would be closed through Monday.

“The community response has been overwhelming. “Plymouth is a place like no other… and from time to time we show each other off,” Chabot wrote. “But out of respect for the victims of this terrible event, we must cool down this energy and provide them with privacy and dignity.”

Chabot said they will donate a full day of surgery on Friday to support the Berkeley family. He also connected A GoFundMe to support his partner Jessie and their two children. The description of the collection shows that the couple has been together for over half their lives.

“Brent was a hardworking and dedicated father. He truly was one of a kind and was loved by all who knew him,” wrote Meggie Linde, a fundraiser who also works at Speedwell. “In the blink of an eye and in a senseless act of violence, Brent was gone and Jessie was left a single mother raising two beautiful children.”

As of Sunday evening, the GoFundMe had raised more than $101,000 of its $150,000 goal.

Jerome is expected to appear in court on Monday.

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Molly Farrar is an assignment reporter at Boston.com focusing on education, politics, crime and more.

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