DA: Stoneham firefighter fatally shot ‘passing a gun back and forth’ while drinking
David Atherton
David Atherton had been a Stoneham firefighter for just a few months. But his short tenure didn’t matter to his fellow firefighters, who stood at attention early Wednesday morning as the 24-year-old’s body was brought out of his home on Congress Street in Stoneham.
Atherton, a National Guard veteran from Stoneham, was drinking and passing around a gun with a friend late Tuesday night at his home when he was shot in the chest and killed, according to the Middlesex County District Attorney’s office.
“It appears the fatal shooting may have been an unintended consequence of this behavior,” the DA’s office said in a statement.
A man at the gathering, Patrick Riccardi-O’Connor, 23, also of Stoneham, was arrested after the 11:10 p.m. shooting and charged with involuntary manslaughter and discharging a firearm, according to the DA’s office.
At his initial appearance in Woburn District Court Wednesday, Judge Michael Brooks set bail at $25,000 cash with a $250,000 surety. If he posts bail, he will be on GPS monitoring and subject to a 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew.
Prosecutors said the gun was registered to Riccardi-O’Connor. His license was revoked Wednesday.
A third man was also with Riccardi-O’Connor and Atherton when the shooting happened, prosecutors said, but he has not been charged.
A Stoneham police detective wrote in a report filed in court that Riccardi-O’Connor thought the gun was unloaded, but didn’t realize there was a bullet in the chamber, The Boston Globe reported.
On Atherton’s Facebook page, he lists O’Connor as a brother. O’Connor’s profile photo is an image of him in uniform, next to what appears to be Atherton in his fire uniform upon his graduation from the academy.
Atherton had just graduated from the Massachusetts Fire Academy on June 10. He was assigned to Group 3 within the fire department, serving with eight other men over the last four months.
“Firefighter David Atherton was new to our department, but had already given a lifetime’s worth of dedicated service to his fellow man,” Fire Chief Matthew Grafton said in a statement. “Firefighter Atherton always wanted to help people. He was selfless and dedicated, and he overcame great tragedy as he lost both of his parents at a young age. I cannot help but feel that the best was yet to come for this young man, and we in the Stoneham Fire Department are still coming to terms with this loss.”
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After graduating from Stoneham High School in 2011, Atherton served in the National Guard as a military police officer. He deployed to Qatar in 2012 and 2013, Grafton said. Eight times, he received awards for his actions, including the receipt of the Army Commendation Medal.
Grafton said Atherton would be buried with full military and fire department honors.
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Stoneham Interim Town Administrator Bob Markel said in a statement that the community in Stoneham was coming to grips with the tragedy.
“On behalf of the entire community, I offer my most sincere condolences to Firefighter Atherton’s family and friends and his fire department family during this difficult time,” Markel said. “I was very proud and moved by the fire department’s response overnight, as firefighters lined the roadway in a show of respect to their brother firefighter.”
As Atherton’s body made its way to the morgue in Boston, firefighters led the escort.
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