Pawtucket Shooting Mystery: Was Gun 3D-Printed?

PAWTUCKET, RI — It's unclear if the gun used in a fatal New Year's Day shooting was 3D-printed, Pawtucket police announced Monday. The weapon was sent to the state's crime lab for testing following the killing of 54-year-old Cheryl Smith.

According to police, the gun has a polymer frame and no serial numbers on the frame, slide or barrel. The slide was made by Rock Island Armory. The gun is fully functional, police said, and fired without incident at the lab.

Two people are charged with killing Smith on the evening on Jan. 1. Jack Doherty, 23, of Albany, New York, and Shaylyn Moran, 18, of Pawtucket were arrested that night and charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy.

When emergency responders arrived, Smith had several gunshot wounds in her chest as a man wearing dark clothing ran from the scene. She was rushed to Rhode Island Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

3D-printed guns have been a hot-button issue in Rhode Island in recent months. In the wake of the shooting, East Bay lawmaker Senator Cynthia A. Coyne introduced a bill to ban such weapons in the state. Representative Patricia Serpa, who introduced similar legislation during last year's session, said she plans to bring partner legislation to the house.

"Our laws require serial numbers, background checks and age restrictions for gun ownership to provide accountability and some level of safety," Coyne said. "3D guns, ghost guns and undetectable plastic guns are all meant to dodge these safeguards, at tremendous risk to public safety. These guns are designed for criminal activity. Our state laws should be very clear that possessing, creating or selling them is a criminal act, and we should be doing everything we can to keep these dangerous weapons from proliferating here."

Anyone in violation of the law would face up to a decade in prison and $10,000 in fines.

"These homemade, undetectable guns are easily made by anyone with even a little bit of technical ability," Rep. Serpa said. "While I am a strong proponent of people’s right to bear arms, these devices simply lack the safety, reliability and accountability of conventional firearms and have become a menace to society."