Massachusetts Daily Collegian

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

Massachusetts Daily Collegian

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

Massachusetts Daily Collegian

Second suspect in UMass armed assault to be arraigned in Belchertown

Pierpont Residence Hall  (Jessica Chaiken/Daily Collegian)
Pierpont Residence Hall
(Jessica Chaiken/Daily Collegian)

The second suspect connected to the armed assault that took place in the Pierpont Residential Building on Feb. 18 was arraigned Tuesday in Framingham District Court after turning himself into police.

Shawn T. Wyatt, 22, was charged with armed robbery, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and assault and battery in connection to the incident, which prompted a two-hour lockdown of the University of Massachusetts last month, according to a press release sent by the Northwestern District Attorney’s Office.

“He’ll be formally arraigned in Eastern Hampshire District Court possibly tomorrow,” said Mary Carey, the communications director of the Northwestern District Attorney’s Office.

Wyatt is the second suspect to be charged in connection to the Feb. 18 armed assault. William McKeown, 19, turned himself in to the Framingham Police on Feb. 19 after being charged with the same crimes as Wyatt.

McKeown is currently out on a $7,500 bail, which he posted on Feb. 24.

Both men are from Framingham.

The armed assault incident resulted in a complete lockdown of the UMass campus, during which students were encouraged to stay indoors as the UMass Police Department searched for the suspects in the building.

However, both men had left the building by the time it was searched by UMPD.

Students during this period were sent periodic updates from the UMPD encouraging them to stay inside and telling them that a firearm had been seen inside of Pierpont.

Northwestern First Assistant District Attorney Steven Gagne amended the criminal complaint against McKeown on Feb. 24 after learning that McKeown possessed a BB gun on the night of the assault, instead of a firearm as was earlier suspected.

Witnesses from the night of the incident said that one of the suspects was seen pistol-whipping a person inside of the Pierpont Building.

The victim was transferred to Cooley-Dickinson Hospital later that night and treated for a head laceration.

Stuart Foster can be reached at [email protected] or followed on Twitter @Stuart_C_Foster.

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