FALL RIVER - The Asian Boyz Crip street gang is believed to be responsible for three separate shots-fired incidents in Fall

FALL RIVER - The Asian Boyz Crip street gang is believed to be responsible for three separate shots-fired incidents in Fall River that started Monday night and continued into early Tuesday morning, according to court documents.

Fall River police officers said they received information from "credible" sources reporting that Asian Boyz gang members were seen together in the city, several of them armed with handguns and extended magazines, around the time of the shootings, which were reported in the Flint and Niagara neighborhoods.

That information came to light in an arrest report this week for Alex Castillo, a 25-year-old Fall River man and alleged Asian Boyz gang member who was charged with drug-dealing offenses early Tuesday morning.

Castillo, whose criminal history includes a prior arrest for which he was reportedly in possession of a stolen firearm, was spotted inside a vehicle with two people, one of them an Asian Boyz associate, just before 2 a.m. Tuesday in the Speedway gas station parking lot on Milliken Boulevard, police said.

Police officers did not find any firearms in the vehicle but reported seizing 27 bags containing 6.2 grams of suspected crack and powder cocaine, and 14 glassine bags of suspected heroin, as well as $106 in small cash, according to court documents.

Fall River police Sgt. J.T. Hoar, a police department spokesman, declined to comment on the shootings or the suspected gang link, saying that to do so would compromise the ongoing investigation.

The Asian Boyz, primarily an Asian-American street gang, have long been active in Fall River, with members arrested on drug-related charges and various violent crimes.

No individual gang members have been arrested in connection to this week's shootings, but Castillo's arrest report mentions six other validated Crips and Asian Boyz gang leaders who were reportedly seen together as they possessed firearms throughout Monday night into early Tuesday.

The first shots-fired incident occurred around 11:05 p.m. Monday at 220 Johnson St., a residence where police earlier this year responded to a reported break-in. Several bullet holes were seen on the building and numerous shell casings recovered. There were no reported injuries, police said.

About 10 minutes later, police responded to a shots-fired call about two miles away at 340 Buffington St.Police found several shell casings in the roadway. There were no reported injuries.

Around 12:30 a.m. Tuesday, police responded to the third shots-fired call at Covel and Bedford streets. Police officers did not report finding any evidence of a shooting or victims at that location.

According to court documents, police towed the vehicle that Castillo was seen inside in order to search the vehicle's passenger compartment for any evidence related to the shooting. Police also administered gunshot residue tests on Castillo and the two other people inside the car.

Internal reports in the Fall River Police Department indicate that Asian Boyz gang members have been concealing firearms in their buttocks, believing that police officers will be hesitant to search sensitive areas if they are stopped.

Castillo declined to speak with police about the shots-fire incidents and requested an attorney, according to court documents.

Email Brian Fraga at bfraga@heraldnews.com.