By O’Ryan Johnson
The Boston Herald
Copyright 2006 Boston Herald Inc.
Two Boston police officers have been suspended but no arrests have been made after one of the cops allegedly shot the other in an argument over whether the shooter was capable of driving following a night of boozing in Dorchester, investigators and sources told the Herald.
“An investigation will determine whether the officer who fired will be charged,” said Suffolk District Attorney’s Office spokesman David Procopio, the first official to confirm the cop-on-cop shooting scenario.
Police spokeswoman Elaine Driscoll said while the investigation is under way, officers Paul Durkin, a 26-year-veteran, who sources identified as the alleged shooter, and four-year veteran Joseph Behnke were placed on paid leave and stripped of their sidearms following Friday’s suspension.
As first reported in the Herald, Durkin was attempting to drive away from Behnke’s home about 4:30 a.m. Thursday when Behnke tried to stop him, sources said. Durkin responded by allegedly firing a round from his department-issued Glock .40-caliber handgun, hitting Behnke in the hip. Behnke was treated and released from Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
The police department refused to confirm that Behnke’s injuries were the result of a cop versus cop shooting, but the scenario has made the rounds throughout the force.
The shooting capped a night of drinking with fellow officers that began aboard a boat docked in Dorchester and ended at Behnke’s West Roxbury home, a police source said.
Durkin allegedly drove away after the shooting, leaving Behnke’s wife, a nurse, to drive him to the hospital for treatment.