An off-duty police officer shot a man dead after he was seen chasing two people with a knife at a Boston Chick-fil-A.
The officer who fired the fatal bullet had been sitting inside the fast-food restaurant on Copley Square along Boylston Street at around 5:30 p.m. when two people sprinted into the restaurant to escape a man pursuing them with a knife, said Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox.
Quickly, the off-duty officer intervened by identifying himself to the armed man and asked him to drop the knife. But the assailant failed to comply and was shot, police say. He succumbed to his injuries at a nearby hospital and was pronounced dead.
The officer was said to have also been taken to the hospital for treatment but did not sustain any injuries. Neither the victim nor the cop have been named as yet.
Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden and Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox suspect the incident arose at another location before escalating in the chicken shop.
"I couldn’t believe that there’s been a shooting around here. I was just on my way to get some Chick- fil-A but I couldn’t even because there’s caution tape everywhere," said one passerby to NBC10 Boston.
Boylston Street, where the incident occurred, between Dartmouth Street and Clarendon Street, was shut until Saturday evening to allow police to conduct an investigation.
Another resident told the outlet the attempted attack has raised fears in the area: “It honestly just makes me question the general safety of Boston.”
"This is a pretty tragic incident”, Cox said during the Saturday night press conference.
He added: "We don't look for loss of life, and our condolences go out to the family of the individual. We are also proud of our police officers, whether on-duty or off-duty, who activate themselves to help save lives."
Doug McDonald, a resident of the area for 59 years, told CBS News he was unsurprised to hear of the incident.
He said: "It's much less safe than it was three years ago, two years ago. Dangerous just walking down the street. It's dirtier, it's more congested. It's sad, the Back Bay was gorgeous. Now it's kind of like a dump."
Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden said authorities were desperately calling on members of the public to come forward with any information that may be of use to police.
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu also spoke on the incident during the press conference: "We know any act of violence is deeply impactful. We want to make sure that everyone knows the city has trauma services available for those who are victims of crime."
Witnesses or anyone with video footage of the incident are asked to call Boston PD at (617) 343-4470.
