Couple charged after pellet gun prank


The last laugh is on two teenagers taken into custody after allegedly playing a cruel joke on passers-by involving a pellet gun.

Lillian M. Bedford, 18, of 11 Franklin St., Bristol, and Marquise Silva, 18, of 221 Mauran Ave., East Providence, were both charged with disorderly conduct Aug. 14 after reportedly pointing a fake handgun at random people passing by Hope and Gooding avenues.

A Bristol woman called police just after 8 p.m. after she passed a red sedan stopped at the intersection with the couple inside. Ms. Bedford, who was driving the sedan, allegedly pointed a gun at the woman and her son, then began to laugh at their reaction before turning south on Hope Street and driving away. It was no laughing matter to the victim, who told police she felt scared for her life.

While police were interviewing the witnesses, more calls came in about the couple in the red car. This time, it was Mr. Silva brandishing what reportedly looked like a real weapon, according to police reports. A man told police he was running on Bay View Avenue near Wood Street when he encountered the sedan. The man in the passenger seat held a gun out the window and pointed it directly at him, following him with the weapon as he ran, the victim told a nearby officer.

The officer spotted the vehicle on Bay View Avenue and pulled the couple over. Ms. Bedford immediately told the officer they had a pellet gun in the car and were playing with it to take pictures of themselves. Mr Silva told police they were just having fun and “didn’t mean anything by it,” reports indicate. While patting Mr. Silva down, officers found the gun and seized it.

After police told the couple they were being arrested for the prank, Mr. Silva reportedly became verbally uncooperative, but officers were able to arrest the pair and bring them to police headquarters without further incident. They were later released with the misdemeanor charge.

Mr. Silva refuted police claims that he was uncooperative and said that while he and Ms. Bedford “did something wrong,” neither meant any harm. He added that he called and apologized to those who complained to police.


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