Investigators have cleared a Westminster police officer who shot and killed an armed man outside his own home.

Worcester District Attorney Joseph Early Jr. said in a statement that the use of force by Sgt. Edward Robbins was “appropriate” because he was acting in defense of Officer Ralph LeBlanc, who had been pinned down by gunfire from 49-year-old Michael Membrino.

Police responded to Membrino’s home in October to find him wearing body armor and brandishing a handgun. He fired several shots in LeBlanc’s direction. He was taken to a hospital where he was declared dead of gunshot wounds to the leg that perforated his femoral artery.

Officials say Membrino had brandished a handgun while making threats at a Fitchburg bar earlier in the day.