Twenty-three-year-old Kareem Lopez who was acquitted of murder only two months ago, was sent back to prison today after he appeared in the Number Six Magistrate's Court to face charges of keeping a firearm and ammunition without a gun license. A mobile patrol on Baccarat Street on Tuesday of this week spotted Lopez and Brandon Tillett, a.k.a. "BET" walking towards Gill Street. The police claimed that when the two saw the patrol, Lopez took a firearm from the waist of his pants and threw it in the drain.
While they were subduing Lopez, Tillett then ran and threw away a silver colored firearm. The police then fired a warning shot at Tillett who they later subdued after he ran into a yard. One 9 millimeter pistol was retrieved from the area where they saw Tillett throw the object along with thirteen rounds of ammunition in its magazine.
They also recovered a.38 revolver that Lopez allegedly threw away along with 6 rounds of.38 caliber ammunition. Both men pleaded not guilty to the charges. Magistrate Dorothy Flowers explained to them that the court cannot offer bail because of the nature of the charges. She remanded both men into custody until May 17th.
Tillett was charged with keeping a firearm and ammunition without a gun license when he appeared today in the Number Two Magistrate's Court. He pleaded not guilty to the charges. Yesterday, Tillett was also charged with two counts of aggravated assault in connection with an incident which occurred on April 9th.
Ernesto Perez and Lyndon Jeffries were sitting in an Altima car on King Street when a gunman rode by and fired several shots at them, but they were unhurt. Lopez was acquitted of the murder of Mark Gardiner on February 16th, because Gardiner's brother, Richard, who identified the body refused to testify. In the case of Tillett, he was freed of the murder charge of Kevin Parks.
