Knife-wielding naked man shot after reported Beacon Hill break-in, Boston police say
Boston police said officers shot a naked man who was wielding a knife following a report of a break-in at a restaurant in the city's Beacon Hill neighborhood.
It happened just before 6 a.m. Wednesday on Mount Vernon Street.
Boston Police Superintendent Paul McLaughlin said police first received a report of a breaking and entering in progress at the 1928 Beacon Hill restaurant. When they arrived, officers found a man with a large knife in a back alley.
McLaughlin said three officers attempted to subdue the man, who was described as "unclothed," with their electronic stun guns but were unsuccessful.
That is when McLaughlin said officers fired their guns multiple times at the suspect. McLaughlin said it is too early to say how many shots were fired.
Officers provided aid to the man, and he was taken to an area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
The officers who were involved in the incident were taken to the hospital for evaluation, which McLaughlin said is standard protocol.
A spokesperson for 1928 Beacon Hill released a statement Wednesday morning.
"The Boston Police Department took quick action to apprehend a severely disturbed person who broke into the restaurant this morning," the restaurant said. "We are grateful that it happened off hours and our staff and guests were not there. We want to thank the officers for their fast response, and we are cooperating with authorities to get them the information they need. We will not be commenting further as this is an active police investigation."
1928 Beacon Hill owner, Kristin Jenkins, said that this restaurant is her baby and she is devastated about the incident.
Neighbors shocked by Beacon Hill shooting
One woman who lives in the neighborhood said she heard a scuffle and loud voices, then a gunshot and a man scream.
"I did hear the police officer say 'We're going to save your life.' And so that brought me a bit of comfort that the person who was shot was hopefully going to be OK in the end," said Robin Martin.
She said that this type of incident is not normal for their area.
"We have neighbors on our floor with two little kids, and I was concerned for them," Martin said.
"It's a safe city for the most part. It's a safe neighborhood, but it's still a city,"
Another woman told WBZ-TV that she was awoken by a fire alarm. Her husband heard glass breaking and people yelling.
"I woke up really startled to the loud crashing noise of what sounded to be glass," said Morgan Hose, who lives above the restaurant. "It sounded like something had hit a window. And then we heard a loud scream and then just some rustling and some pounding noises."