Somerville Police Officer Shot, Suspect Killed
SOMERVILLE (CBS) – A veteran Somerville police detective was upgraded to fair condition Wednesday, a day after he was shot and nearly killed.
Officer Mario Oliveira was part of a group of local and federal agents executing an arrest warrant on Gibbens Street around 6:40 p.m.
Police say that's when Matthew Krister, 21, of Somerville allegedly opened fire, hitting Oliveira three times at close range.
Officers returned fire, killing Krister.
Oliveira was rushed to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, where he had emergency surgery overnight.
WBZ-TV's Eileen Curran reports from Mass General
Oliveira, 42, is a highly decorated nine-year veteran of the force who was named Officer of the Year in 2005. He is married and has three-year-old son.
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Somerville Communications Director Michael Meehan talks with WBZ News Radio
It's not clear yet if Oliveira was wearing a bullet-proof vest at the time of the shooting.
Frank, a neighbor of Kristner's who only wanted to go by his first name, said Kristner lived next door his whole life until he moved to New Hampshire a month ago. "I even had him shovel my snow a couple winters there. There was nothing wrong with him. He was like a regular kid."
Frank said he heard shots the night Kristner was killed. "(I) never figured it would be the boy next door."
Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone and police chief Michael Cabral spoke with Oliveira at the hospital Wednesday."This is a miracle," said Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone. "You don't was away from a traumatic incident like this one, in most cases, so we're very thankful."
"He's very concerned about getting back to work, about his family. I just told him make sure you take care of yourself, get healthy, so you can go back home to your wife and your son," Cabral told WBZ-TV.
Cabral said Krister was not known to police.
