A disturbing find -- gun discovered in Barnstable man's yard

(Barnstable Police Photo)

By Casey Ramsdell, Globe Correspondent

Police in Barnstable are investigating after a homeowner found a loaded .22-caliber semiautomatic handgun with two large-capacity magazines in a trash bag in his yard yesterday morning.

The gun was found around 9:30 a.m., said Police Sergeant Sean Sweeney. The homeowner noticed the black plastic bag in his yard and, looking inside, found the gun, along with two 12-round magazines. The bag also contained a couple of T-shirts, said Sweeney.

No shootings have been reported in Barnstable within the last 24 hours. Sweeney said that the police will be contacting neighboring communities to see if there have been any shootings in those areas.

The police will try to trace the gun to find out who its owner is or whether it's been used in a crime, said Sweeney.

He said there could be a number of explanations for the gun being there, including someone discarding it after stealing it or someone leaving it there for another person to pick up. But he said police do not have any clear answers at this time.

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