Here is the police report on the call we reported live as it was happening:

#Bridgeport, CT – Jan. 21, 2014 – Five people were arrested Saturday after a report of shots fired on Maplewood Avenue.

Police responded to 220 Maplewood Ave. Saturday night on a report of shots fired in the rear yard and received information through the 911 center that one of the people involved might live in the basement apartment of that house.

Officers Joseph Cruz, Adam Roscoe and Todd Sherback entered the rear yard, announced their presence and saw the basement door ajar.

Sgts. Bradford Seeley and Sean Lynch also arrived.

Police opened the door and announced their presence again. They observed Robert Melvins, 43, of that address, in a shadowed area of the basement and detained him. When asked, he stated there was no one else in the basement. A moment later, Gary Alson, 43, of Stamford, and two 17-year-olds emerged from a bedroom. They also were detained.

Seeley, Lynch and Roscoe then entered the basement and found Tajvon Ferris, 19, of Bridgeport, hiding.

Inside the apartment, police recovered a 9mm pistol and what appeared to be crack cocaine.

Melvins gave this account of events: He was giving a haircut in the basement to an unknown male, who he believed was Jamaican. The man was dissatisfied with the quality of the haircut, which led to a physical altercation. During the struggle, Melvins said, a gun fell from the pocket of the unknown Jamaican male. Another person picked up the gun and held it until the two people were separated and then returned the gun to the unknown male. The man left and that’s when Melvins said he heard gunfire outside.

Mevlins also stated that the same male left the recovered 9 mm pistol about five weeks earlier and asked him to “hold” it for him.

Everyone in the apartment was charged with narcotics related offenses. Melvins additionally was charged with criminal possession of a firearm.

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By Stephen Krauchick

DoingItLocal is run by Steve Krauchick. Steve has always had interest with breaking news even as an early teen, opting to listen to the Watergate hearings instead of top 40 on the radio. His interest in news spread to become the communities breaking news leader in Connecticut’s Fairfield County. He strongly believes that the public has right to know what is happening in their backyard and that government needs to be transparent. Steve also likes promoting local businesses.

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