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Bourne police officers are still at the murder scene this morning on Roundhouse Road in Monument Beach.
BOURNE – The suspect in yesterday morning’s shooting in Monument Beach was arraigned on murder charges, Thursday afternoon in Falmouth District Court.
Adrian Thomas Loya, who turned 31 yesterday, is being held without bail. A plea of not guilty was entered on his behalf.
Loya has a status of active duty in the Coast Guard, as do two of his victims, according to Coast Guard spokeswoman Myeonghi Clegg.
One of those victims, woman who was on active duty in the Coast Guard stationed on Cape Cod, died in the shooting. The other woman, also on active duty with the Coast Guard on Cape Cod, was shot but survived. A Bourne police officer, identified by a source as Jared MacDonald, was also shot and survived.
In addition to murder, Loya is being charged with two counts of armed assault with intent to murder; two counts of home invasion; burglary armed assault on occupants; arson of a motor vehicle and assault and battery of a police officer.
J. Drew Segadelli, the defense attorney representing Loya, said his client is “a gentleman with previous affiliations with the Coast Guard, no previous involvement with the criminal justice system.” He added, I’m going to do a full, complete and thorough investigation into these allegations to see that this fellow gets his day in court.”
Segadelli said he could not comment on details of the case because the judge impounded the file at the arraignment.
“I truly wish to abide by the judge’s orders. The reason that brought him here, and whether or not there was a previous relationship with the town and’or the others involved, I believe is a bit premature to get into,” Segadelli said.
CCB MEDIA PHOTO
Condominium units in the development where a Coast Guardsman killed one of his colleagues in the Coast Guard and injured another Coast Guard member as well as a Bourne Police Officer on Thursday.
Segadelli said Loya had served nine years in the Coast Guard and had begun “to matriculate out in November.” The attorney said he did not know why Loya was leaving the Coast Guard, but he said, “I know it’s honorable.”
He said Loya has no criminal record.
As for motive, Cape and Islands District Attorney Michael O’Keefe said, “The police are working on the investigation very diligently, and some things are starting to emerge, but I’m not going to speculate on a motive at this point.”
Falmouth District Court Judge Michael C. Creedon ordered that Loya be held without bail on all charges. He is due in the Falmouth District Court on March 23 for a pretrial hearing.
The incident began at approximately 2:14 a.m. Thursday, when Bourne Police Department responded to a report of a car fire in the Clay Pond area of Bourne. Upon arrival they found a fully engulfed automobile blocking Round House Road.
At approximately the same time, 911 calls were coming into the Bourne Police Department about shots being fired.
Because the burning car was blocking the road, police proceeded on foot towards the location where the shots were coming from.
They encountered a man they said was Loya who opened fire on police. Officer MacDonald was struck in the back by an apparent gunshot round.
O’Keefe said yesterday that the injured officer is recovering well at a Rhode Island hospital.
“The chief tells me that he’s been operated on, the bullet has been removed and the prognosis is good and we’re grateful to hear that,” he said. “We’re also very hopeful that the woman who has been a victim here will recover as well.”
O’Keefe said he did not want to characterize the apparent attack on police, but he said, “If one levels a rifle at human beings, police officers or anyone else, and pulls the trigger, one can infer from those actions that he’s intending to do harm.”
According to police, after officers encountered Loya, other officers proceeded to a house where they found the two women, one of whom was dead and the other still alive.
The surviving woman was transported to a hospital in Rhode Island. A Coast Guard spokeswoman said she is in stable condition at a Rhode Island hospital. Police have not yet released the names of the two women, because they are notifying next of kin.
Coast Guard Rear Admiral Linda Fagan, commander of the First Coast Guard District, released a statement yesterday about the shooting that involved three Coast Guard members. “Today, the Coast Guard suffered a tragic loss. I am saddened to report that we lost a team member this morning to an act of violence. Another Coast Guard member and a Bourne police officer were injured in the same incident. We have chaplains and counselors on site to support friends and families affected by this crime. Coast Guard Investigative Service personnel are supporting the Massachusetts State Police investigation. My thoughts and prayers are with everyone who has been touched by today’s sad event,” she stated.
Clegg, the Coast Guard spokeswoman, said there were currently no disciplinary actions in place by the Coast Guard having to do with Loya. She confirmed that all three were currently in active duty with the Coast Guard.
Both women were stationed on the Cape and Loya was stationed at Chesapeake, Virginia, Clegg said.
O’Keefe said that after finding the women, it was at a different, but nearby location, that additional police officers encountered Loya and placed him under arrest.
The matter remains under investigation by Bourne Police, Massachusetts State Police Crime Scene Services, the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office and Massachusetts State Police Detectives assigned to the Cape and Islands District Attorney’s Office.
