BOSTON (WHDH) - Sources told 7News that investigators are looking at East Boston gunman Kirk Figueroa’s social media activity.
Figueroa, 33, had just been sworn in as a Boston city constable back in July, giving him the power to serve legal papers, wear a constable’s badge and even make arrests in some cases. He was approved by Mayor Marty Walsh and the City Council after Boston Police did a background check. Boston Police Commissioner William Evans said they did not know Figueroa had a criminal history out-of-state.
Figueroa was arrested in Georgia back in 2009 for impersonating a private investigator and arson for possible setting fire to a car. He was sentenced to a year in jail and was released on time served. Evans said this would not have come up in their background check but Figueroa did not have a criminal record in Massachusetts.
On the website for Code Blue Protection Services, Figueroa is listed as the company’s founder, offering services like bail running and armored car training. His bio also said he served eight year in the Army Reserves and worked as a private investigator in Florida and a prison guard in West Virginia. However, 7News found out that Figueroa’s applications to become a private investigator and run an investigative and security agency were both denied. While he did have a gun license in Florida, they had expired in 2009 and in February of this year. Police said Figueroa was never licensed to have a firearm in Massachusetts.
7News also obtained a copy of Figueroa’s divorce proceedings from Georgia, dated October 2015. Figueroa’s wife filed for divorce, claiming he gave her black eyes, choked her and abused her on several occasions.
Meanwhile, sources told 7News that police are investigating “suspicious” activity on Figueroa’s social media accounts.
7News learned that Figueroa used the alias “Kocoa Xango” on Facebook, where he posted photos of knives and guns, along with a video about the Quran. While he posted 16 videos of police-involved shootings of black men last week, Evans does not believe his officers were targeted.
Figueroa also posted links to the Satanic Church, along with comments like, “Hail Satan.”