Witness: Officer 'Really Hesitated' Before Shooting 19-Year-Old Suspect In Dorchester
BOSTON (CBS) - The family of a 19-year-old man shot and killed by Boston Police confronted officers in Dorchester Tuesday, letting loose anger and grief. Investigators say that young suspect shot at the officers first Monday night and then they returned fire.
At least one eye witness, too shaken to appear on camera, tells a similar story.
"We saw the young man walking, he wasn't even running," the woman told WBZ. "But then I seen the gun in his hand so that's how I knew why the officer was yelling 'drop the gun, drop the gun!'"
The woman says she witnessed the deadly shootout from the first floor window of her Penhallow Street home.
"But the (suspect) just kept firing," she said. "So all I want to say is the officer really hesitated in shooting him."
Tuesday night, Boston Police detectives continued to go door to door, gathering facts.
Police say the two officers directly involved patrol on bicycles, and were not wearing body cameras, but other officers were.
The gunfire terrified people living in the neighborhood, including a 100-year-old woman.
"I was in the backyard raking and all of a sudden I heard the shot," the woman said. "So I just ran in the house and my daughter who lives upstairs came down and told me to stay in."
In a statement, District Attorney Rollins expresses thanks no officers were injured and also offers sympathy to the family of the young suspect. She's promising a complete and transparent investigation.
