Fairhaven man charged in fatal Mattapoisett shooting

WAREHAM — A Fairhaven man was arraigned on 11 charges, including first-degree murder, at Wareham District Court today.

Nicholas Bottella, 33, has been charged with shooting and killing 57-year-old James Rizza at a residence on Harbor Road in Mattapoisett. 

He pleaded not guilty to one count each of first-degree murder, discharge of a firearm, carrying a firearm without a license, possession of ammunition without a firearm identification card, carrying a loaded firearm, trespass, failure to stop for police, negligent operation of a motor vehicle, speeding, failure to stop/yield and a marked lanes violation.

Mattapoisett police responded to reports of a shooting yesterday around 3 p.m. and found Rizza severely injured on his driveway. He was transported to an area hospital with multiple gunshot wounds and lifesaving measures were attempted before he was pronounced dead at 3:40 p.m. 

A witness who had reported the shooting told a 911 dispatcher a man driving a red car was involved in the incident. Police found a vehicle matching the initial description  at a nearby intersection and tried to stop it. 

Bottella, who was driving the red sedan, refused to stop and fled from the officers. Mattapoisett police chased him into Marion and stopped him near Front Street, where multiple cruisers boxed him in. 

Police arrested Bottella and took a passenger in his vehicle to the Mattaposiett Police Department for questioning. Massachusetts State Police and local law enforcement discovered upon investigation that Bottella was involved in a neighborly dispute with Rizza about a year before the fatal shooting. 

Bottella is scheduled to appear back in court July 31 for a probable cause hearing.