Alleged gang member pleads guilty to violent struggle that left one cop shot

Antonio Franklin, 22, of Roxbury, today admitted to a variety of charges related to an incident that left a Boston police officer shot in the chest by a state trooper attempting to help subdue Franklin.

Franklin was sentenced to 9-10 years in state prison; the DA's office had recommended a sentence of 12-14 years.

Prosecutors say trouble began May 23 when the Boston officer and the trooper stopped a member of the Castlegate gang to ask what he was doing bicycling on through Crown Path territory. They then spotted another individual bicycling away and they began to chase him.

The officer, Steven Romano, caught up with him on Westville Street. Franklin pulled out a gun and managed to get off two shots without hitting Romano even as the two struggled, prosecutors say.

State Police Trooper James Grasso observed Franklin fire the second shot and returned fire against the deadly threat. A single .40-caliber round struck the defendant, traveling into and out of his body, then struck Romano, who was still struggling with Franklin.

In an impact statement delivered in court today, Romano offered stern words for the man who admitted responsibility for the shooting, but also hope that he would emerge from prison a different person.

"Mr. Franklin is a young man who made a mistake, and I don't think we should lock him up and throw away the key," he said. "At the same time ... his actions that night were a conscious decision which showed his utter disregard for human life. On a personal level, I don't feel that an assault on a police officer is any worse than an assault on anyone else in this courtroom. That being said, I do recognize that in order for us to maintain any kind of law and order in the city, we cannot allow people to shoot at the police. I think a clear message should be sent to Mr. Franklin that his actions that night cannot and will not be tolerated. I pray that he comes out of jail a changed man." ...

Franklin pleaded guilty to: Aggravated assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, assault with a dangerous weapon, unlawful possession of a firearm as a second offense, unlawful possession of ammunition, unlawfully carrying a loaded firearm, and discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a dwelling.