By John Zaremba and Colneth Smiley Jr.
The Boston Herald
A retired Bedford cop shot and killed three people in his Cambridge home last night and later turned the gun on himself, according to authorities, in what prosecutors called a horrifying end to a simmering family dispute.
‘This is another horrific example of domestic violence,’ Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone said at a press conference last night. ‘We know there were disputes leading up to this - nothing leading anyone to believe anything of this magnitude would occur.’
Leone announced a manhunt for John ‘Jack’ Brosnahan, 67, but a short time later, about 10 p.m., authorities found a car matching the 2011 Toyota Camry he was driving parked at a boathouse on Soldiers Field Road in Brighton. Police recovered a body found in the Charles River late last night that the district attorney’s office identified as Brosnahan.
Leone declined to identify the three people found dead in Brosnahan’s Grove Street home, but he said all were adults.
A unidentified woman who pulled up in front of the family’s home, broke down in tears and yelled to police gathered in front of the home, ‘I hope you’re happy now.’
Cambridge police were called to the grisly scene about 6:40 p.m., Leone said.
A nearby neighbor who did not give her name said the family had lived there for years and never showed signs of trouble.
‘They were very nice neighbors, and there were no incidents,’ she said, saying she has known the family 25 years. ‘They were very nice people. It’s a tragedy.’
Another neighbor, Vinny Burelli, 71, who lives around the corner, said he never expected such violence in the quiet enclave, which sits near the Belmont border and is marked by modest homes with well-kept lawns.
‘I grew up in and around this neighborhood,’ he said. ‘Everybody in the neighborhood is shocked. You don’t expect this around here.’
Brosnahan served as a patrolman throughout his entire police career, according to Bedford police Chief Robert Bongiorno, who took over as chief in July. He said he did not know Brosnahan personally, and that few active officers on the young force did.
‘Our concern now is with the Brosnahan family,’ he said. ‘Such an action, if proven to be true, does not reflect on the fine tradition of the Bedford Police.’
Copyright 2011 Boston Herald Inc.