Fall River man who pointed illegal gun at man who attempted to stop assault, sentenced to prison

A 33-year-old Fall River man who pointed an illegal firearm at another man who was attempting to stop a domestic assault this past April was sentenced to serve up to five years in state prison this week, Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III announced.

Robert Bryan pleaded guilty in Fall River Superior Court to indictments charging him with carrying an illegal firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition and assault with a dangerous weapon.

On April 29, 2019, at about 2 am, the male and female victims were walking at him when they observed a domestic assault near St. Mary’s Cemetery in Fall River, where a man pushed a female to the ground. The male victim approached the male who pushed the female to the ground and told him to leave her alone. At that point, another man, later identified as this defendant, approached the victims and pointed a gun at them while stating, “Don’t mess with me.” The victims immediately fled the area and called the police.

The female victim was shown a photo array by police and identified the defendant’s photo. The police then obtained a search warrant for the defendant’s apartment, where they located the defendant, along with an unregistered .380 semi-automatic pistol and ammunition.

The defendant had previously served a two-year jail term in 2014 for illegal firearm charges.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Daniel Walsh and the three-and-a-half to five year state prison sentence was imposed by Judge Thomas McGuire.

“The defendant was up to no good and pulled a gun on a law abiding civilian who was trying to stop an assault. I commend the victims for calling the police, which led to the defendant’s arrest. The defendant has a prior firearms conviction and doesn’t belong loose on the street. I am pleased that the defendant was held without bail as a danger prior to his conviction,” District Attorney Quinn said.