Officer cleared in police-involved shooting that killed 1 in Braintree
An investigation into a fatal police-involved shooting earlier this year in Braintree has cleared the officer of any criminal responsibility, according to the Norfolk District Attorney’s office.
The shooting, which resulted in the death of 44-year-old Robert Dussourd, came after an officer’s life was threatened, authorities said. They said they determined this after interviewing residents and reviewing both forensic and medical evidence related to the incident.
Just before 1:30 a.m. on March 24, police responded to a domestic disturbance report on Liberty Street. The caller, who lived with Dussourd and had two children with him, told police Dussourd was intoxicated, armed with a knife, and making threatening statements, authorities said.
Two officers, Sgt. Charles Bata and Officer Richard Hale, began searching for Dussourd while several others surrounded the area. Using a K-9 unit, they tracked Dussourd from the Liberty Street residence to East Division Street, where Dussourd was allegedly seen lying underneath a car parked in a driveway, hiding his right hand. Officer William Cushing Jr., who arrived on the scene with the K-9, told Dusssourd three times that if he didn’t get out from underneath the car, he would use the K-9, authorities said.
Dussourd allegedly refused, saying “F— you,” and “I’m going to kill you,” to the officers. He eventually got out from beneath the car and reached for something in his pocket, leading Cushing to deploy the K-9, which bit Dussourd, according to the DA’s office.
Still, Dussourd continued to hold a knife, ignoring officers’ commands to get on the ground, authorities said. He allegedly threatened officers and attempted to attack the dog before Cushing pushed him to the ground. When Dussourd got back on his feet, still brandishing the knife, Hale fired three rounds from a non-lethal beanbag gun, striking Dussourd on the right side of his abdomen, his lower right back, and his right hand, according to the DA’s office.
Authorities said that Dussourd still refused to drop the knife, and officers believed he was going to stab the dog. Dussourd allegedly yelled, “F— you, I’m going to stab you!” before coming at Cushing with the knife, swinging the weapon in a “windmill” motion as he closed in on him. When Dussourd was within two feet of Cushing, the officer fired two rounds, both of which Doussard in the torso, according to the DA’s office.
An autopsy revealed that one bullet entered the side of his chest and traveled through both of his lungs and two chambers of his heart, authorities said. The second hit his back and went through several organs, including his liver, according to the DA’s office.
Once Dussourd stumbled to the ground and released the knife, officers began first aid on him until paramedics arrived at the scene, authorities said. He was taken to South Shore Medical Center, where he died just after 3 a.m., according to the DA’s office. Authorities said an ethanol reading of Dussourd’s blood came in at 0.23 when he died.
An investigation later revealed that Dussourd intended to evade arrest, saying, “They’re not taking me … they can shoot me before they take me. I’m not staying here waiting for ’em,” once he learned that police had been called to the scene.
“In light of these findings, the District Attorney for the Norfolk District finds no criminal responsibility and will take no further action as to the performance and execution of the duties of Officer Cushing, Officer Hale, Sgt. Charles Bata, or any other Braintree personnel on March 24, 2016,” District Attorney Michael Morrissey wrote in a report. “These officers used the force reasonably necessary to protect themselves from the threat of death or serious bodily harm.”
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