Man brings gun to a cane fight - and loses

A man earned a five-year prison term today for an incident last year in which he tried to end an argument by smacking his opponent with a gun and then trying to shoot him only to have his victim whack him in the head with a cane.

William Rivera, 44, of Mattapan, was convicted today of unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawfully carrying a loaded firearm, discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a dwelling, assault with a dangerous weapon and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon for an incident on July 21, 2013, the Suffolk County District Attorney's office reports.

Prosecutors say Rivera and the victim, whom he knew, got into an argument near the intersection of Dudley Street and Mt. Pleasant Avenue in Roxbury. The argument turned into a fight:

During that altercation, Rivera pulled a handgun from his waistband and used it to strike the victim in the head. Rivera then fired one shot, which struck no one but caused the gun to jam. While Rivera was trying to clear the jam, the evidence showed, the victim struck Rivera in the head with a cane he used because of an injury. Rivera dropped the gun, recovered it, and ran away.