Sunday Standoff Leads to Attempted Murder Charge

What started out as an ordinary Sunday for the ended in a standoff with an armed shooter, an attempted murder charge and and a roommate lucky to be alive.

Police received a call at shortly before 6 p.m. Sunday reporting that a man was firing a gun in his apartment at 20 Commonwealth Ave. Officers Thomas Driscoll, David Patnaude, Jason wedge and Steven Corr rushed to the scene, Police Chief Paul Gallagher said. Gallagher then joined the officers at the scene.

As police surrounded the house, the alleged victim ran out of the building and described the roommate, Eric Halwix, 42, and said Halwix had shot a shotgun from behind a locked door twice. Bullets went through the door but did not hit the victim, Gallagher said.

"At that point, we were getting no response for [Halwix] coming out of the house, and we were preparing to call the SWAT team and evacuating the area nearby homes, letting people know what was going on," Gallagher said recalling the situation. "At that point, Mr. Halwix did come out of the house. He was instructed to put his hands up and come down to bottom of steps, and he was arrested."

Police would not elaborate on possible motive for the shooting. Halwix was charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, assault with intent to murder and threat to commit murder.

"The officers did an excellent job," Gallagher said.

Halwix pleaded not guilty in Lawrence District Court before Judge Kevin Gaffney and was ordered held without bail pending a dangerousness hearing. He will return to court Oct. 12 to be appointed an attorney.

"The dangerousness hearing will take place on a date subsequent to that, that date still to be determined," District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett's office spokesman Steve O'Connell said.

This is the second standoff local police have been through in the past year. Last November, who had allegedly pulled a gun on some landscapers for making too much noise.