A New Bedford man who fired three shots at Wareham police officers from his Marriott Towne Place Suites hotel room on Friday, Aug. 23, was “paranoid” in the weeks leading up to the incident, according to court documents.
On Friday evening, 40-year-old Scott Desimas of New Bedford fired three shots through the door of his hotel room at Wareham police officers who were investigating reports of shots fired behind the hotel earlier that evening.
A combination of surveillance camera footage and reports from hotel staff and residents identified Desimas as the possible shooter, and Wareham police knocked on the door of his room, first identifying themselves as “Marriott” and then as Wareham police.
Two bullets pierced the wall opposite the room and entered the pool area. A father and his three young children were in the pool area at the time, as was another hotel guest.
Neither officers nor hotel residents were injured, and Desimas turned himself in to police shortly after the shooting, Wareham police said in a statement.
Desimas is charged with four counts of assault with murder and firearm, one count of discharging a firearm within 150 meters of a building, two counts of recklessly endangering a child, three counts of assault with a deadly weapon and two counts of possession of a firearm without an FID card.
According to a police investigation, Friday’s shooting was the culmination of weeks of erratic and paranoid behavior by Desimas.
On Monday, August 19, Desimas entered the building of his former employer, Kia of Dartmouth, placed a knife on the counter and told employees to “finish him off” because the company would send people after him, according to a Dartmouth police report.
Later that same day, Desimas checked into the Wareham Marriott Hotel and signed up for a 31-day stay.
Police spoke to Desimas’ girlfriend, who said he had become “increasingly paranoid over the past two weeks that someone might harm him or his family.”
She told police that she and her two children, ages four and five, visited him at the hotel the morning of the shooting after he told her they were “not safe” in New Bedford, a police report said.
At Desimas’ request, his girlfriend brought a rifle and a pistol to the hotel. The weapons belonged to her and she had a license, police said.
Hotel staff also noticed his behavior. Several employees said he was “acting strangely and causing them concern.” He also asked for several room keys on the day of the shooting, according to court documents.
On Friday, a hotel employee called police around 8:03 p.m. and said a hotel resident reported gunshots coming from the cranberry bogs behind the building.
Police spoke with the resident, who said someone matching Desimas’ description walked into the rear parking lot, after which she heard two gunshots. The resident then saw the same man walk back into the building. Surveillance footage reviewed by police confirmed it was Desimas, although he moved out of the camera’s view before firing a gun.
Desimas’ girlfriend and her two children were in the hotel room when Wareham police knocked on the door. She told police Desimas signaled her and the children to go to the bathroom and they remained there as he fired shots through the door at officers.
After allegedly firing at police, Desimas opened the door of his room and went into the hallway, at which point he was arrested without any problems.
Desimas appeared in Wareham District Court on Monday, August 26. He entered a not guilty plea and was remanded in custody, denied bail.
Desimas’ next pretrial hearing is scheduled for Friday, August 30, in Wareham District Court.
