On Fri., Jan. 4, around 3:30 p.m. at the corner of Avenue C and E. Fourth St., Ninth Precinct plainclothes police officers arrested three local men ages 21, 26 and 29 in possession of two loaded guns — a 9-millimeter, left, and a .38-caliber. They were all charged with two counts of weapon possession — one for each gun. “Anytime you get a gun off the street, it can help us,” said Deputy Inspector Dennis De Quatro, the East Village precinct’s commander. He said police had been drawn to the location because it was connected to drugs and violence. The guns have been sent to the police ballistics lab for analysis to check if they were involved in other local shootings. De Quatro said a shooting on E. Fourth St. and Avenue C a couple of months ago also involved a 9-millimeter gun. However, a New Year’s Eve shooting at Houston and Columbia Sts. involved a lighter .22-caliber weapon, according to De Quatro. It usually takes a month to get the lab results, he said.
