DA: Man Who Shot Boston Cop in Face Also Fired on Officers in 2001
The suspect believed to have shot a Boston police officer in the face in Roxbury Friday also fired on officers in a 2001 incident, prosecutors told to Boston.com. Angelo West, 41, of Hyde Park, was shot and killed after opening fire on officers during a traffic stop Friday night.
Police involved in the 2001 case said they narrowly avoided being shot as they wrestled the gun from West. They said West told them he didn’t care if they shot him.
District Attorney Dan Conley’s office confirmed Saturday that West was involved in both the Friday night shooting and the incident in 2001. West was charged with two counts of armed assault with intent to murder and firearms charges in the 2001 incident. He was convicted on all charges and sentenced to seven to ten years in state prison, said Jake Wark, a spokesman for the Suffolk County district attorney’s office.
In a news conference Saturday, Evans said West had a long, violent history, but did not specifically reference the 2001 shooting. According to a 2001 Boston Globe story, Boston Police Officer William Griffiths and State Police Trooper Kevin Murray “desperately struggled to take a gun away’’ from West, even as he told him he didn’t care if they shot him.
From The Globe’s 2001 report:
“Through several long minutes, Griffiths and Trooper Kevin Murray battled to disarm Angelo West, 27, who had his finger on the trigger as the gun waved in front of both officers.
Griffiths had his gun drawn and could have shot West.
“He said: ‘Shoot me. I don’t care,’’’ the officer recalled. “He said that numerous times. But I did it another way. We subdued him another way.’’
Emily Wright contributed to this report.
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