Just before 5:30 p.m. Saturday, police said an off-duty officer was inside the Chick-fil-A at 569 Boylston Street when two people ran into the restaurant while being chased by a man with a knife who was attempting to stab the two people.
“The officer then instructed the man to drop the weapon, to which he did not comply,” Boston police Commissioner Michael Cox said. “The officer then discharged his weapon to stop the threat and the armed man was struck.
He was then taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced [dead]. The officer was transported to a hospital for evaluation, but at this time, there are no other reported injuries.”
Boylston Street between Dartmouth Street and Clarendon Street was closed until Saturday night in order for police to continue their investigation.
“This is a pretty tragic incident, Cox said. “We don’t look for loss of life and our condolences go out to the family of the individual. We are also proud our police officers, whether on-duty or off-duty, who activate themselves to help save lives.”
Cox told reporters that the officer is in stable condition without any life-threatening injuries.
Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden was also present at the news conference.
“We need the help of anybody who knows what happened here so we can get to the bottom of what happened in this very chaotic situation,” Hayden said.
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu was at the press conference as well and said her thoughts are with everyone who was impacted during the incident.
“I am very grateful for a quick response from all of our first responders here in such an active part of Boston,” Wu said. “We know any act of violence is deeply impactful.
We want to make sure that everyone knows the city has trauma services available for those who are victims of crime.”
