John Boampong, Assaulting Officers, Massachusetts 2020

BOSTON – A Boston man has agreed to plead guilty to assaulting officers with a firearm during the civil disorder in Boston on June 1, 2020.

John Boampong, 37, has agreed to plead guilty to one count each of interfering with a law enforcement officer during the commission of a civil disorder, receipt of a firearm by a person under indictment for a felony offense, and assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers or employees.

Boampong was charged by criminal complaint on June 30, 2020, and has been detained since his arrest on June 1.

According to the terms of the plea agreement, Boampong will be sentenced to a term of 42 to 63 months in federal prison and three years of supervised release.

“We’ve seen protests time and again over the past year. While protesting is a constitutionally protected right, endangering the lives of law enforcement and the public is a crime,” said United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling.

“John Boampong incited panic downtown after he fired 11 rounds in the direction of police officers and civilians, with a firearm he was not allowed to carry. His appalling actions put everyone—including officers who were there to ensure public safety—in danger,” said Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division.

“With an illegal firearm, John Boampong shot in the direction of my police officers while thousands of people were expressing their First Amendment rights on June 1, 2020,” said Police Commissioner William G. Gross. “I hope today’s guilty plea will remind people that the Boston Police Department will continue to work with our partners in the Federal Bureau of Investigations and the United States Attorney’s Office to send a clear message that committing violent crime in our city, against our residents, and my officers, will not be tolerated.”

“The peaceful protests of the police killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and other Black and brown people were, unfortunately, marred by the dangerous and criminal acts of a small number of individuals,” said Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins. “John Boampong was one of those individuals who put the lives of protesters and police in danger. Violence will not be tolerated in our communities. I’m grateful to have the partnership of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in efforts to hold individuals accountable for acts of violence while ensuring the ability of protesters to assert their First Amendment rights and speak out against injustice.”

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