By Milton J. Valencia and Gabrielle T. Dunn
The Boston Globe
BOSTON — A Boston police officer working an undercover drug investigation shot a teenager in the chest after a struggle during a vehicle stop last night in East Boston, a witness and police officials said.
The shooting victim, believed to be 18 years old, was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital for treatment of injuries not considered life-threatening. Police would not identify him last night, but said the victim and the man believed to be the driver of the vehicle were charged with possession of heroin with intent to distribute within a school zone.
The officer who fired the shot was taken by ambulance to a hospital for evaluation, police said. The officer is expected to be placed on administrative leave while an investigation into the shooting continues.
Police said the officer, who was not identified, was working with State Police drug detectives on an investigation when he tried to stop a sport utility vehicle on Princeton Street.
Police Superintendent Bruce Holloway said the officer, who was in a marked police cruiser, flashed his emergency lights to initiate the stop at about 8:30.
Two men were in the car, and the shooting victim, believed to be the passenger, struggled with the officer, said Holloway, head of the bureau of criminal investigations.
“A struggle ensued, and one shot was discharged,” Holloway said. He would not describe the nature of the struggle or how it was initiated. He said the bullet wound was superficial. A Mass. General official would not comment last night on the victim’s condition.
Holloway said the men in the SUV were the target of the drug investigation.
Holloway said the shooting remains under investigation. He would not say whether either of the two suspects was armed.
The shooting occurred at a delicate time for Boston police, who have been criticized recently for use of force.
An investigation continues into the handling of crowd control during the Boston Celtics championship celebration in June in which a 22-year-old man, David Woodman of Brookline, died in police custody. His family has questioned whether police used excessive force in arresting him. He was initially apprehended for allegedly drinking in public.
The local district attorney’s office is investigating, and an outside review is also being conducted. Police have defended the officers’ handling of Woodman during the arrest, saying it was not excessive.
The last police shooting occurred in May, when police shot a suspect on Boston Common after he allegedly held up a toy handgun. The man was shot in the arm and survived.
In November, a man was fatally shot by police after he allegedly led them on a pursuit in Dorchester and Mattapan waving a handgun.
In March 2007, a police officer shot a woman in the leg. The woman, who was treated at a local hospital and released, had waved a knife and charged officers.
The outcome of the investigations into those shootings was unknown last night.
Last night, Police Commissioner Edward F. Davis and Superintendent in Chief Robert P. Dunford arrived on the scene.
One neighbor, who witnessed the shooting, said the area has been a hot spot for drug activity.
The woman, who asked that her name not be used for fear of her safety, said she was in her home across the street when she heard gunshots.
“I ran downstairs and I saw him sitting there, saying: ‘Why’d you do that, man? Why’d you do that?’” the woman said. She said the man was sitting in the passenger seat of the car and stood up only when emergency medical workers brought him into an ambulance.
“He was shot in the chest. I thought he died,” the woman said.
Copyright 2008 The Boston Globe