Divers find shotgun believed tied to duck hunting tragedy

Photo above: A diver surfaces at the Westport Harbor entrance with the Benelli shotgun on Monday, June 8 — it’s decayed stock had just fallen off. (Westport Police photo)

WESTPORT — Police divers have recovered a shotgun believed to have belonged to Steven James, one of two duck hunters who perished in Westport Harbor on the frigid morning of Jan.7, 2014.

A recreational diver found the gun earlier last week near Charlton Wharf at the harbor entrance, said Westport Police detective Antonio Cestodio.

The diver took a close enough look to identify the shotgun as a Benelli brand but, rather than handle it himself, notified a friend who called police.

Then, on Monday, Jan. 8, a SEMLEC (South Eastern Mass. Law Enforcement Council) dive team dove at the location provided by the man who had found the gun. Assisting were Westport and Dartmouth police and the Westport harbormaster.

“It was a good description because they found it within an hour,” even though visibility was not ideal. They tried to time the dive for slack tide, but currents there are strong most of the time.

The shotgun was located in 21 feet of water close to where the overturned duck hunting boat wound up on the day that it swamped off FL Tripp & Sons Boatyard in a steep wind-driven chop with three friends aboard.

Mr. James, 53, of Marshfield, and Robert Becher, 55, of Cromwell, Conn., both died in the tragedy. Westport resident Gregg Angell survived but nearly froze to death before being rescued from low-lying Cory’s Island.

Its time in the water left the shotgun in bad shape — the wooden stock fell off as the diver was swimming the gun to the surface and most of what was left was corroded and covered with barnacles. But the Benelli brand name was still visible as was hunter’s camouflage on the gun.

All three hunters that day carried Benelli shotguns.

Mr. Becher’s gun was still in the boat when it was pulled from the water after drifting to near Charlton Wharf on Jan. 7, 2014. And Mr. Angell’s gun was found two days later in the beach shallows near the harbor entrance.

After this gun was recovered, Westport Police sergeant and weapons expert John Couto spent several hours freeing the frozen bolt to make sure no shotgun shells were inside — he determined that the gun was not loaded. Then efforts to determine the serial number began.

If and when the shotgun can be positively identified, Det. Cestodio said he expects that the family will be notified and the gun will be sent to State Police to be destroyed.