WESTFIELD – City police are attempting to determine the provenance of a pistol found Wednesday near the side of City View Road.
Police report that a City View Boulevard resident came to the station Wednesday morning and surrendered an unloaded .22 caliber revolver he said he found in a wooded area near the road.
The man, who said he was on his way to work, left the station before an officer arrived to speak with him but detectives contacted him later in the day and he specified the section of the roadway where the gun was found.
Detectives searched an area of City View Road near the crossing of Jack’s Brook but report finding no other property or evidence of any crime in the area.
A detective said that the recovered pistol does not fit the description of any stolen or missing firearms but said that, judging by the paucity of rust on the gun despite the recent moist weather, it does not appear to have been exposed to the elements for very long.
The description and serial number of the gun were sent with a query to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives of the U.S. Department of Justice, a detective said, but conceded that no reply is expected soon.
