Two men arrested after shots fired from Orange apartment window; Glock pistol, shotgun, and child found inside

ORANGE — On Sunday, March 23, 2025, at approximately 4:56 p.m., Shelburne Control 911 Dispatch Center received two 911 calls reporting multiple gun shots from inside 50 East Main Street, an apartment building.

Officers Chris Bisceglia and Benjamin Kovacevic of the Orange Police Department responded to the scene.

(The account and quotations in this article were sourced from the printed Personnel Narrative of Officer Bisceglia and do not reflect any political perspective or personal opinion of News Link Live, which is strictly a business entity.)

“One caller stated that after hearing the gun shots, she observed a broken window on the second floor of the brick apartment building,” Officer Bisceglia said. Later adding, “Upon our arrival, we parked our cruisers in a dirt lot off of Water Street and proceeded on foot through a field that leads to the rear of 50 East Main Street. The location is a two-story brick building with more than twenty separate apartments.”

Officer Bisceglia said that as he approached the west side of the building, he observed a window screen and broken glass on the ground beneath a second-floor window.

“While looking up, we observed a male subject looking out of the broken window down at us,” Officer Bisceglia said. “We entered the building through the side door and proceeded to the second floor.”

Officer Bisceglia said they quickly determined the gunshots had come from Apartment 9.

“I knocked loudly on the door and announced our presence,” Officer Bisceglia recounted. “I immediately heard a male voice speaking Spanish from inside the apartment. After knocking several times, a male subject opened the door and stepped backward into the apartment. I drew my department-issued firearm and pointed it at the subject for officer safety. I ordered him to show his hands; however, he hesitated. I observed a cell phone in one hand and nothing in the other. Believing there may be a language barrier, I began motioning with my hands to instruct the subject to exit the apartment. He began to comply slowly. Once he was in the hallway, I secured him in handcuffs.”

Officer Bisceglia said a pat-frisk for weapons was conducted, during which he located a wallet and a Mexican passport in the man’s pockets. While speaking with him, Bisceglia detected a strong odor of alcohol on the man’s breath and noted that his eyes appeared glassy and bloodshot. The man was later identified as Bolivar Rivera-Perez using the Mexican passport.

According to police, Bolivar Rivera-Perez, 30, is a resident of 50 East Main Street, Apt. 9, Orange, MA.

“Rivera-Perez was seated in the hallway while we awaited additional officers,” Officer Bisceglia said. “Officers from the Athol Police Department arrived and assisted with clearing the apartment. Upon entry, I loudly announced our presence. A second male subject was observed looking out of a bedroom. He was ordered out at gun point and immediately complied. He was frisked and placed in handcuffs.”

Officer Bisceglia said the second man located inside the apartment was identified as 19-year-old Jose Ivan Diaz Maldonado, court documents indicate that his residence is also 50 East Main Street, Apartment 9. Jose was born in Mexico. (His social security number was listed as “not available” in Orange Police Department’s Arrest Report).  

“He was seated next to Rivera-Perez in the hallway,” Officer Bisceglia said. “It should be noted that Jose spoke English, while Bolivar only spoke Spanish. We continued to clear the apartment and located a female and a young child in the same bedroom that Jose had exited.”

The female was identified as 21-year-old Veronica Soto, and the child was identified as [name redacted] a one-year-old girl.

“They were escorted to the hallway and seated with the others,” Officer Bisceglia said. “No additional individuals were located during the protective sweep. Once the scene was secure, I notified Lieutenant [Adam] Cooley of the incident. It was determined that we would seek a search warrant for the apartment.”

Officer Bisceglia said that while clearing the apartment, he observed that the broken window was in the bedroom, where he also saw multiple open cans of beer.

“Back in the hallway, I read Jose Diaz the Miranda warnings from a card I carry in my pocket,” Officer Bisceglia said. “He stated that he understood. Jose informed me that he rents the apartment with his girlfriend, Veronica Soto, and their daughter, [the one-year-old girl].”

Officer Bisceglia said that Jose stated his brother-in-law, Bolivar Rivera-Perez, had been staying with them for a few months and occupied the bedroom where the broken window was located.

“Jose stated that while he was in his bedroom with Veronica and [his daughter], he heard loud music coming from Bolivar’s room, followed by multiple gun shots,” Officer Bisceglia said. “He said he did not personally see Bolivar with a gun. When asked if there were any firearms in the apartment, Jose admitted there was a shotgun stored under his bed. He stated he was holding the firearm for a cousin who is looking for housing.”

Jose denied firing any weapon in the apartment and stated he did not possess a license to carry firearms, according to Officer Bisceglia.

At this time, Detective Luis Rivera from the Easthampton Police Department responded to assist police with Spanish translation.

“Upon his arrival, Bolivar Rivera-Perez was read the Miranda warnings in Spanish by Detective Rivera from a card he carries,” Officer Bisceglia said. “Bolivar stated that he understood and agreed to speak with us. Bolivar stated that he had consumed 12 beers that day and was listening to music in his bedroom. He admitted that, while intoxicated, he felt the urge to fire several rounds out of his bedroom window.”

According to Officer Bisceglia, Bolivar said he owns a pistol that he keeps in the bedroom for family protection. He admitted he likely would not have discharged the firearm if he hadn’t been drinking and stated that he does not have a license to carry. He also believed the pistol was unloaded at the time.

“While speaking with us, Bolivar reported feeling nauseous and vomited,” Officer Bisceglia said. “The Orange Fire Department ambulance responded and evaluated him. He declined medical treatment and signed a patient refusal [form].”

Bolivar was then placed under arrest and transported to the Orange Police Department for booking.

Detective Travis Rushford of the Orange Police Department was contacted on March 23, 2025, to prepare a search warrant for the apartment, according to Officer Bisceglia. The warrant was approved the same day by Orange District Court Clerk Joella Fortner.

At approximately 9:15 p.m., members of the Orange Police Department and Massachusetts State Police troopers executed the search warrant at 50 East Main Street, Apartment 9.

According to Officer Bisceglia, police located the following items inside the apartment:

Inside Bolivar’s bedroom:

• Five spent 9mm shell casings

Inside Jose’s bedroom:

• Unsecured shotgun located under the bed
• Large-capacity Glock magazine (17-round capacity) containing 13 live 9mm rounds of ammunition

Inside common hallway closet:

• Glock 17 pistol with an empty 17-round magazine and 16 loose 9mm rounds inside a green and black bag
• Eight loose 9mm rounds inside a boot

“Following the discovery of these items, Jose Diaz was placed under arrest and transported to the station for booking,” Officer Bisceglia said.

Bail Commissioner David Weiss was contacted and set cash bail at $100,000 for Bolivar Rivera-Perez and $75,000 for Jose Ivan Diaz Maldonado.

“Both individuals were allowed access to a phone but were unable to post bail,” Officer Bisceglia said. “They were transported separately to the Franklin County House of Correction.”

Bolivar Rivera-Perez was charged with the following offenses:

1. Possession of ammunition without an FID card
2. Discharge of a firearm within 500 feet of a building
3. Improper storage of a firearm
4. Discharge of firearm near a street/highway
5. Carrying a firearm while intoxicated
6. Possession of a large-capacity firearm
7. Possession of large-capacity feeding device

Jose Ivan Diaz Maldonado was charged with the following offenses:

1. Improper storage of a firearm
2. Possession of ammunition without an FID card
3. Possession of a firearm without an FID card
4. Possession of a large-capacity feeding device

“As a result of the investigation conducted, we have no reason to believe that the shots were fired towards a person,” Orange Police Chief James Sullivan said in a statement about the incident posted to Facebook on March 24, 2024. “This was an instance of severe recklessness that fortunately did not result in any injuries.”

Both men were arraigned in Orange District Court on March 24, 2025.

Disclaimer: If you are wondering why the incident in this story was from March, that’s because I had to file FOIA request(s) to get the court documents for the incident. FOIAs are time consuming.

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