Lowell man arrested for shooting in Acre garage bay

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LOWELL — No one was injured or shot by a Lowell man who fired multiple rounds from a handgun in an Acre garage on April 12 — an incident that the alleged shooter’s attorney said was the result of “an individual who made bad choices.” .”

Sovisal Var, 53, charged with firearms and assault stemming from the incident, has since been released after posting bail on Friday, according to Lowell District Court documents.

According to a Lowell Police Department incident report, officers were called to the 100 block of Rock Street on April 12 shortly before 9:30 p.m. after receiving reports of an intoxicated man, later identified as Var, “waving a gun.” Police were also told the man fired multiple shots.

Three men named in the report as victims said they had been working in a garage on Rock Street when two of them became involved in a confrontation with Var, who was working in an adjacent bay. The alleged victims told police that Var was “yelling at them and was clearly angry,” but due to a language barrier they were unable to understand his complaints.

During the confrontation, Var was accused of showing the two men a gun, inserting a magazine into the weapon and slinging the slide. According to the report, the two men told police they had left the scene, then called the other alleged victim – still in the Rock Street garage – who locked himself in the bay.

The alleged victim in the garage later told police that after a few minutes he heard several gunshots fired from the adjacent garage, according to the incident report.

During the subsequent search of the bay where Var is believed to be located, police said they discovered four spent 9mm shell casings on the floor. The search also turned up live rounds in a desk drawer.

Surveillance footage from the garage viewed by police allegedly showed Var holding a black object that police said appeared to be a gun.

A firearm was not recovered.

When he spoke to police, Var admitted to the confrontation, according to the report, stating that it involved the alleged victims’ “loud music and smoking marijuana.”

Var’s attorney, Ryan Sullivan, said the case involves “a misunderstanding surrounding the consumption of alcohol.”

“There was no bad blood, just bad decision-making,” Sullivan said. “It appears that these parties did not have any acrimonious relationship, but rather it was an individual who was under the influence and made some very poor decisions.”

Var was charged Tuesday in Lowell District Court with assault with a dangerous weapon, carrying a firearm without a license, carrying a loaded firearm without a license, possession of ammunition without a firearm identification card and discharging a firearm within 150 meters. of a building.

At the arraignment, Judge John Coffey ordered Var held pending a 58A dangerousness hearing scheduled for Friday, which was used to determine whether Var should remain in custody as the case progresses in court.

Court documents state that after Friday’s hearing, Coffey determined that Var posed a danger to the community under the 58A statute, but the conditions of release would address those concerns.

Var’s bail was set at $1,500 cash, which was posted the same day. As part of his release, he was ordered to wear a GPS monitoring device and adhere to a 24-hour lockdown with windows for work and any medical appointments.

Var was additionally instructed by Coffey to avoid alcohol and submit to SCRAM testing. A SCRAM is a device that a suspect must blow into several times a day to test whether he has drunk alcohol.

Var will return to court on June 20 for a hearing.

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