LEOMINSTER — On Friday, September 12, 2025, at approximately 2:05 p.m., Officer Tanner Jakola of the Leominster Police Department was dispatched to an apartment at 39 Main Street following a report of a domestic disturbance involving a firearm.
(The account and quotations in this article were sourced from the printed Personnel Narrative of Officer Tanner Jakola and Detective Shane Crawford and do not reflect any political perspective or personal opinion of News Link Live, which is strictly a business entity.)
“Dispatch advised the male party, later identified as William Campos, was in Apt. [number redacted], had pointed a gun at his ex-girlfriend, Danielle [last name redacted] who was currently in [a neighboring unit],” Officer Jakola said. “While en route, dispatch advised Danielle believed William was knocking on her apartment door.”
According to police, William I. Campos, 57, is a resident of 39 Main Street, Apt. [# redacted], Leominster, MA.
“Officer [Renzo] Vasconcelos, Officer [Michael] Dingman and I made entry into the apartment building,” Officer Jakola said. “Due to how the call came in (firearm pointed at ex-girlfriend’s head) I had my duty weapon out and at the low, ready.”
Officer Jakola said that, while going up the stairs, there was a male party who stated he was William Campos when asked.
“William was given commands to keep his hands up,” Officer Jakola said. “I handcuffed and searched William with Officer Dingman. There was no firearm on his person. William was read Miranda warnings and refused to speak with police.”
While the other officers stood by with Campos, Officer Jakola said he went to speak with Danielle.
“Danielle stated the following: William is the father of her [seven-year-old] child, [name redacted],” Officer Jakola said. “Danielle had lived with William in Apt. [number redacted], but had moved out at the beginning of this summer after their relationship ended.”
Danielle said that earlier in the day, she went to the apartment next door to Campos’ to help her friend Edward [last name redacted] clean his place.
“Danielle stated when she arrived at 39 Main Street, she saw William outside and let him know that she was there to clean Edward’s apartment,” Officer Jakola said. “Danielle stated William seemed fine with what she was doing. Danielle was cleaning Edward’s apartment for about 30 minutes when she received a call from William. William was asking questions about why a light was turned off in Edward’s apartment and why a blanket was covering the bottom of Edward’s front door.”
Danielle said that when she finished cleaning, she knocked on Campos’ apartment door to let him know she was leaving.
“According to Danielle, William opened the door and put a firearm to the left side of her head and said something to the effect of, ‘Get the f*ck out of the door,’ or ‘Step back!’” Officer Jakola said. “The firearm touched the left side of her head. This act put Danielle in fear. William was holding the firearm with his right hand. Danielle described the firearm as small and black in color.”
Campos then closed the door and Danielle went back to Edward’s apartment and told him what happened.
“Danielle estimated this incident happened around 1:45 p.m.,” Officer Jakola said. “At 1:50 p.m., Danielle went back to William’s apartment and knocked on the door. Danielle stated there was no answer but she may have heard William talking to someone within the apartment. Danielle went back to Edward’s apartment and called 911. While on the phone with dispatch, someone knocked on Edward’s door but did not say anything. Danielle believed that it was William who knocked.”
Officer Jakola said Officer Avery Benvisutto spoke with Edward, who said he didn’t see anything but heard the commotion in the hallway.
Officer Jakola said Campos arrested and transported to the Leominster Police Station for booking while he remained on scene.
“I went over the pertinent paperwork with Danielle,” Officer Jakola added. “She wanted a restraining order and stated she would be going to court after picking up her son.”
Danielle told Officer Jakola she was unaware that Campos possessed a firearm and had no knowledge of where he might keep one.
“The wallet was found near where William was initially placed in handcuffs. Inside William’s’s wallet was a substance believed to be cocaine,” Officer Jakola said. “For this, William will [also] be charged with Possession of a Class B drug, subsequent offense.”
Officer Jakola said that, according to Campos’ criminal history, he was found guilty of possession of Class B drug on Oct. 14, 2016.
Officer Jakola also searched the Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) database and found out that Campos had a suspended FID card, which was issued in Bellingham had an expiration date of April 24, 1998. He also had a .22 caliber firearm registered in his name.
Leominster Police Detective Shane Crawford applied for and obtained a search warrant for Campos’ apartment from the on-call clerk magistrate on September 12, 2025, the day of the incident.
Detective Crawford said that while searching Campos’ apartment, officers located a small black firearm propped on a ledge in the interior of a closet in the bedroom/living room area.
“The firearm was then seized as evidence,” Det. Crawford said. “Nothing else was located in the residence. Before clearing, Ms. Mello then knocked on the door asking if we had found the firearm. I informed Ms. Mello that we did and I allowed Ms. Mello to view the firearm to which she stated that it was the firearm Mr. Campos had brandished and placed against her head. A copy of the search warrant was affixed to Mr. Campos refrigerator in the kitchen.”
Det. Campos said that when he returned to the station, he examined the firearm more closely.
“The firearm had the imprint of ‘HS’ and ‘Made in Germany’ imprinted on it,” Det. Campos said. “I noticed that the magazine well was solid and was not capable of receiving a magazine. Also, the barrel was not hollow all the way through, with it having a solid section of metal between the end and where a singular round would be loaded in. It was apparent that this was a starter pistol or blank firer. Please note that this starter pistol was small and black, just like Ms. Mello had described it. Please note that without inspecting this starter pistol closely, it appears to be a functional handgun.”
Det. Campos said that the starter pistol was entered into evidence.
William Campos charged with the following:
- Assault & Battery with Dangerous Weapon (Firearm)
- Possess Class B Drug, Subsequent Offense
Campos was arraigned in Leominster District Court on Sept. 15, 2025. Following his arraignment, he was released on personal recognizance under the condition that he stay away from, not contact, and not abuse the victim.
Campos’ next court date was a pretrial conference scheduled for Oct. 15, 2025.
Disclaimer: If you are wondering why the incident in this story took place in September, that’s because I had to file FOIA request(s) to obtain the court documents. FOIAs are time-consuming.
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