Springfield police officer shot in face may lose eye; 7 arrested after shootings
SPRINGFIELD - A Springfield police officer shot in the face and leg Wednesday night may lose vision in one of his eyes. Officer Nestor Santos is recovering in a Boston-area hospital with a bullet fragment still lodged in his head "and will likely need several more surgeries before he is released," the police department said in a social media post.
"He has had one surgery, and doctors were able to save his eye, but he will likely lose his vision in one eye," the department posted.
Santos has been an officer in Springfield for seven years and last year received the "Medal of Valor," which is the department's highest honor. He previously served as an officer in Central Massachusetts.
Springfield Police Officer Nestor Santos was shot in the face and leg on Wednesday night. He is currently in a Boston...
Posted by Springfield Police Department on Friday, June 7, 2024
The Greg Hill Foundation and WEEI are raising money for the 44-year-old Santos' recovery. Santos is married with three children, including a son who is a police officer in Southbridge.
Chaotic scene in Springfield
Police described how the chaotic scene unfolded Wednesday night. The department said it started when people in a Honda Civic shot at officers who were working an unrelated investigation on College Street at about 10:40 p.m.
Two minutes later, as backup officers tried to find the Civic, police say people in a Jeep Cherokee opened fire on an unmarked cruiser "with an AR-15 style rifle" near State Street and Hunter Place. No officers were hit there, but police say that's when Santos arrived on scene and was shot after stopping his car on the 600 block of State Street.
7 suspects arrested in Springfield
Police said the Civic was stopped on the ramp to I-91, but not before hitting two Department of Transportation workers, seriously injuring one. Police arrested three people who were inside the car and recovered four guns.
The Jeep Cherokee was found at a house on Randall Place. Police said three suspects in the Jeep were arrested and a fourth man was arrested at the home.
Police said 18-year-old Isak Font, 26-year-old Dwight Clarke, and a 16-year-old boy - all from Springfield - are accused of shooting at the unmarked cruiser and Santos. Also facing charges are 18-year-old Robert Willis III, 18-year-old Alberto Torres, and a 17-year-old who were in the Civic, and 31-year-old Jaime Griffin who was arrested at the Randall Place home on firearms charges.
Five of the suspects had previously been arrested on firearms charges, police said.
"I am incredibly proud of our officers involved who were shot at, had to see a fellow officer shot and still were able to get every single suspect and seven illegal firearms off our streets during a very difficult night," Springfield Police Supt. Lawrence Akers said in a statement.