Officers are justified in shooting someone near a hospital
Two Boston police officers who Fired at a man who had a real gun near a city hospital three years ago, and who was later shot and killed by police after a car chase, were justified in their use of force and should not face criminal charges, according to the findings of an investigation released Monday.
“Based on the evidence, we conclude that none of the actions of the officers involved were objectively unreasonable,” Special Assistant District Attorney John Dawley wrote in the 54-page report released by Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden’s office. “Accordingly, charging is not appropriate and the investigation should be closed without trial.”
Hayden said he had reviewed the report and agreed with it.
“These cases are always difficult and always tragic, both for the families of those injured or killed and the officers involved,” Hayden said in a statement. “I thank Special ADA Dawley for his thorough investigation of all factors involved in this tragic incident.”
The chain of events that led to the death of 41-year-old Justin Root began just after 9 a.m. on Feb. 7, 2020, when police received a 911 call about a man with a gun near Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
Officers David Godin and Michael St. Peter responded and fired several shots at Root when he pointed out that Godin had a replica firearm, according to the investigation.
A shot appeared to hit Root, who then got into a car and drove away from the area, according to the report. A shot fired by the officers hit a hospital valet, but he survived.
Root led police on a 3-mile (5-kilometer) chase into Brookline, where he crashed his car near a shopping center and was shot dead by six officers, investigators said.
The The Norfolk District Attorney’s Office in a separate report It was revealed in March 2020 that members of law enforcement were justified because Root did not show his hands and get on the ground as ordered and moved his hands inside his jacket in a manner “consistent with reaching for a handgun”. The gun turned out to be a BB pistol.
Boston is in Suffolk County and Brookline is in Norfolk County.
Root’s family said in a statement Monday that they disagree with the report’s conclusions and reiterated their call for an independent investigation by the state attorney general’s office.
“The case is pending in court and they hope that when all the facts are presented, the public will know what happened and those responsible for killing Juston will be held accountable,” the family said.
Root’s family filed the suit Wrongful death cases Against the police in August 2020. The complaint states that Root, who has bipolar and schizoaffective disorder, was not a threat when police fired dozens of shots at him from a few feet away.
The case was dismissed, but Root’s family is appealing.
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