Providence man sentenced to 8 years in state prison for possessing illegal firearm equipped with auto sear
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Attorney General Peter F. Neronha announced today that a Providence man has been sentenced in Providence County Superior Court to serve eight years at the Adult Correctional Institutions (ACI) after pleading to illegally carrying a pistol that was modified to fire automatically through the use of a device known as an auto sear.
On February 20, 2024, Terrance Fisher (age 28) entered a plea of nolo contendere to one count of carrying a pistol without a license and one count of possession of a pistol that was modified to fire automatically.
Following his plea, Superior Court Justice Kristin E. Rodgers sentenced the defendant to 20 years, with eight years to serve at the ACI and a 12-year suspended sentence with 20 years of probation.
“So much of the gun violence in our communities is driven by illegal guns getting into the hands of those who will readily use them,” said Attorney General Neronha. “This defendant roamed a neighborhood park with a gun illegally modified to fire automatically, which has the potential to cause unthinkable carnage. I thank the efforts of the Providence Police Departments and commend the hard work by the prosecutors from our Office for their work on this case.”
Had the case proceeded to a trial, the State was prepared to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant illegally carried an illegally modified pistol through a neighborhood park.
On April 13, 2023, members of the Providence Police Department responded to a dispatch call stating that a man dressed in all black was in possession of a firearm in Billy Taylor Park. The park is known to law enforcement as a hot spot for the East Side street gang.
Following the call, investigators from the Providence Police Department’s Violent Crime Task Force responded to the park. When investigators entered the park, they observed the defendant grab his waistband before he fled the scene, tossing an object over a nearby fence. Investigators apprehended the defendant and later recovered the object, a .40 caliber Glock-22 Gen 4 pistol with a laser attachment, outfitted with an auto sear to allow the pistol to fire fully automatically.
“The men and women of the Providence Police Department are ever vigilant in their pursuit of preventing violent crime, particularly those involving a firearm, within our community,” said Providence Police Colonel Oscar L. Perez, Jr. “Here, investigators acted swiftly to remove a dangerous defendant and weapon from the community. I praise the efforts of all those involved in the investigation and prosecution of this case.”
Special Assistant Attorney General Edward G. Mullaney of the Office of the Attorney General and Investigators Ryan Malloy and Scott Campbell of the Providence Police Department led the investigation and prosecution of this case.