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Man steals gun from officer, shoots himself in foot outside MGH
Bystanders and BPD officers working a detail helped detain the man, who was apparently experiencing a mental health crisis.
A man stole a gun from a police officer and shot himself in the foot near Massachusetts General Hospital Tuesday morning, according to police.
An officer working a detail reported the incident to Boston Police Department dispatchers at 8:42 a.m., BPD Commissioner Michael Cox told reporters. The altercation took place near 265 Cambridge St.
The detail officer was approached by someone who appeared to be experiencing a “mental health issue,” Cox said. The man attacked the officer, knocked the hat off their head, “grappled” with them, and eventually wrestled the officer’s gun away. The suspect fired at least one shot and hit himself in the foot.
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Bystanders and other officers working the detail outside MGH joined together to subdue the suspect. He was arrested and brought to a local hospital. His injury is not considered to be life-threatening.
“We are very thankful that no one was seriously injured, that our officer is doing OK,” Cox said. “We want to express our sincere gratitude for the assistance of the people who were there, present, to help.”
Officials did not release the identity of the suspect. They could not specify whether he was an MGH patient or not. Cox initially said that he expected the suspect to be arraigned Tuesday, but later told reporters that that is unlikely due to the suspect’s “mental health status.”
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Cox described the location of the incident as a “high profile area.” The shooting occurred during rush hour, and traffic was affected for much of Tuesday morning in the area near MGH.
Cox called the actions of the detail officers and the bystanders “heroic.”
“These are life-threatening situations, when you have firearms involved and particularly when they’re in the hands of someone who doesn’t necessarily know what they’re doing,” he said. “It was a very scary situation.”
The Suffolk County District Attorney’s office is conducting an investigation.
“Our office responded to the Cambridge Street shooting scene this morning. As with all discharges involving an officer weapon we will conduct a thorough investigation. We are thankful that the Boston Police officers on scene contained the situation so that it resulted in no injuries to themselves or members of the public and apparent minimal injury to the suspect involved.”
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