I-Team: Suspect In Shooting Of BPD Officers Had History Of Violence

BOSTON (CBS) – The man who allegedly shot two Boston Police officers had a history of violence.

Court records the WBZ I-Team obtained reveal felony indictments against Kirk Figueroa in Georgia, along with allegations of domestic abuse. Figueroa was killed in a shootout with police at his home in East Boston late Wednesday night.

In 2009, Figueroa was arrested and later indicted for first-degree arson for setting his own car on fire. According to a warrant in Cobb County, investigators determined he "placed an incendiary device on the passenger seat, consisting of a one-gallon plastic jug of ignitable liquid, consistent with the color and odor of gasoline."

Authorities also accused Figueroa of impersonating a private detective without the required credentials.

"Figueroa on multiple occasions on recorded telephone conversations held himself out to be a certified licensed private detective," the warrant read.

While interviewing with detectives, Figueroa apparently brandished a badge, even though the Secretary of State had no record of him being licensed in Georgia.

A divorce case filed a year ago also described a troubled marriage. In the complaint, Figueroa's ex-wife requested a restraining order and detailed a history of physical violence.

"He gave me black eyes, choked me, pulled out my hair, verbally humiliated me and abused me on several different occasions," she wrote.

The ex-wife indicated the couple had been separated since Christmas 2009 and she did not know his whereabouts.

Despite the red flags, Figueroa was able to receive his Boston constable's license this summer. The duties of the job deal mostly with serving civil court records like lawsuits and evictions. After passing the needed requirements, constables are approved by the City Council.

While it's rare, a Weymouth constable with 46 years of experience told WBZ they have the power to make an arrest.

"You try to convince them to meet at the clerk's office at the district court to go before a judge. However, if that's not possible, they could be subject to arrest," said Dick Ramponi, the president of the Massachusetts Bay Association of Constables.

Commissioner Evans said a background check for prospective constables does not include a search of the FBI's database.

"If he was applying for a license to carry, we would do that type of nationwide check, but there are not as strict requirements with a constable. A constable is very much…like a mailman," Evans told reporters.

According to city requirements, a felony conviction should've disqualified Figueroa to be a constable in Boston. Figueroa pled guilty to the arson charge and the prosecutor dismissed the impersonation of a private detective.

However, a spokeswoman for the District Attorney's office in Cobb County told WBZ that as a first-time offender, Figueroa was able to remove that blemish from his criminal record after successfully completing probation.

As a result, he would've been able to truthfully answer that he had not been convicted of a felony on his constable application.

A restraining order should have also been a disqualifying factor, according to city requirements. But a Cobb County court official told WBZ there is no record a protective order was ever filed against Figueroa in his divorce case.