Police: Dorchester Man Shot After Attacking Officers With Wooden Stake
BOSTON (CBS) – A Boston police officer shot a man who stabbed him with a wooden stake in Dorchester overnight, police said.
Officers were called to Howe Terrace shortly before midnight after they received calls that a young man with a sharpened stick had attacked one person and chased another.
In a news conference late Friday morning, Police Commissioner William Evans said 22-year-old Edwin Guity had already attacked two civilians at the terrace when police arrived.
Evans said Guity initially ran from officers, but he turned and confronted them.
One officer was stabbed in the lower abdomen, Evans said, but his bulletproof vest prevented serious injury.
The wounded officer then shot Guity once in the leg after he lunged at police again, Evans said.
"We were dealing with someone who clearly had emotional issues, has a strong emotional and assaultive behavior in the past and unfortunately the officers had no other choice," said the commissioner.
The officers did show restraint, Evans said.
"The preliminary investigation, which includes numerous community member statements, indicates that the officers acted properly in conformance with the Boston Police Department's Department Rules and Regulations," he said.
Guity was rushed to Boston Medical Center where he remains in critical condition.
Evans said police have been called to Guity's home several times in the past for "emotionally disturbed behavior."
"At this point the investigation shows the officer had no choice but to discharge his weapon to prevent this violent individual from assaulting additional police officers and civilians who were in the area," Evans told reporters.
He did not release the name of the police officers involved, but said he expects to soon.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Lana Jones reports:
