A federal grand jury in Worcester indicted Joel Polanco, 33, of Fitchburg, on Thursday, January 28, for being a felon with a firearm.
Police responded to Snow St. and Cherry St. in Fitchburg on October 24, in response to a report of a man with a gunshot wound to the leg. A witness described someone describing Polanco’s description as the shooter.
Police confirmed the description through surveillance videos. They saw a man fitting the same description carrying a fanny pack and what appeared to be a firearm.
Police later recovered a 10 mm Glock pistol from a fanny pack near Snow St.
Polanco has a previous conviction for possession of ammunition and distribution of cocaine base in March 2011, which prohibits him from possessing a firearm.
The charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison.