Two police officers were shot multiple times and a police dog was killed after a man “ambushed” them with gunfire in the woods behind a Braintree apartment complex, Norfolk District Attorney Michael W. Morrissey said Friday afternoon.
Two Braintree police officers were in surgery at two different hospitals as of 4:45 p.m., Morrissey said. One officer was taken to a local hospital and one was taken to Boston Medical Center. Both were shot multiple times. The officers have not been identified.
“We are hoping for the best,” Morrissey said. “We think things look pretty good, but they are in surgery … Say a prayer. It shows you how dangerous this job can be.”
The district attorney did not identify the two officers, but said one was on the force for six years and the other for more than 12.
Braintree Mayor Charles Kokoros said he hoped to visit the two officers Friday evening.
At about 12:45 p.m. Friday, officers responded to a 911 call reporting a verbal domestic incident in the area of Braintree Village, a multi-building, 324-unit apartment complex on McCusker Drive.
Officers spoke with the victim of the domestic incident, a woman, who said a man had run into the woods behind the complex with two guns.
Police set up a perimeter and issued a shelter-in-place order to residents and schools nearby. Two officers and the canine went into the woods in search of the suspect. Seventy-five yards into the woods, “They came under fire from someone in a defensive position,” Morrissey said.
Both officers and the dog were shot. The officers returned fire, shooting the suspect. Other officers then came to the aid of all involved and administered medical aid to all three injured people.
Free Time Kitt. We will forever miss you and always remember the good times we shared with you buddy. You went out a lion, protecting your dad and his partners. K9 Kitt EOW: 6/4/21 #braintree #workingdog pic.twitter.com/wqdVGoRkQ0
— Braintree Police Department (@BraintreePolice) June 5, 2021
Both officers were taken to the hospital, and the suspect was taken to Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital – Milton where he was pronounced dead.
Braintree Police Chief Mark Dubois, who was at the scene during the incident, said the officers knew the man they were looking for was armed.
