Malden police officer shoots man during "altercation" at transportation company
MALDEN - A Malden police officer shot and wounded a man during an "altercation" outside a transportation company Wednesday morning.
"The guy was acting pretty crazy"
Police said they were called to the scene for a reported "disturbance" at 9:15 a.m. Witnesses said the man was arguing with a woman and was armed with a knife and being aggressive. A worker at the company told WBZ-TV the man was an employee.
The Middlesex County District Attorney identified the man as 31-year-old Dominique Long.
"When the cop showed up, the guy was acting pretty crazy," one witness told WBZ-TV. "So she tased him. And I guess he kept running at her, so she shot him."
"They had him surrounded, they just kept telling him 'drop the knife' and he wouldn't, he just tried to come at them, he lunged towards them," said a woman who witnessed the shooting.
The DA said Long refused to drop the items he was carrying before he dropped them and pulled out a "kitchen-style" knife from his pocket and advanced on the officers. An officer then shot Long, hitting him.
"He was responsive but he was bleeding pretty profusely," said a witness. "It looked like they were treating it with gauze and trying to stop the bleeding, stuff like that. They cut his shirt off."
Man accused of attacking woman before shooting
Police said initially, a 43-year-old woman was walking in the area when Long threw a cup at her and struck her in the head with his fist. She tried to record him but Long allegedly took her iPad and brandished a knife. The woman was taken to the hospital where she was treated and released.
Police said Long threatened one other person with a knife. The woman he's accused of attacking called 911 on him.
Police were still processing evidence at the scene Wednesday afternoon, including pieces of clothes on the ground.
"It's unsettling," said another witness. "This world's upside down, too many shootings."
Long's family is questioning how this happened, saying Long had a knife in his pocket but never showed it.
"Just trying to do better for yourself. It was definitely tough, throughout the Covid period, for him to start getting back on his feet," a cousin of Long's told WBZ-TV.
The DA said Long was taken to a Boston hospital and is in stable condition. He's also been arrested and will be charged with armed robbery, assault and battery, three counts of assault with a dangerous weapon and intimidation of a witness.
"It's tragic that an individual this morning came to work and this is how it turned out," said Malden City Councilor Chris Simonelli.
