The Associated Press
PLYMOUTH, Mass.- Police shot and killed a 16-year-old boy early Tuesday after he drove a car at them while fleeing the scene of a possible burglary attempt, authorities said.
The two officers opened fire, killing Anthony McGrath, following a high-speed chase that started at a liquor store in Plymouth.
“My son got a death sentence,” the boy’s mother, Denise McGrath, told reporters. “I want to know who killed my son for no reason at all.”
The two officers, whose names were not released, were placed on paid administrative leave. The Plymouth district attorney’s office is investigating, police Capt. Michael Botieri said.
The alarm at Richard’s Wine and Spirits sounded around 3:20 a.m., and as an officer arrived, he saw a vehicle leaving the area, Botieri said. The officer followed with his lights flashing and was joined by another cruiser, he said.
The driver, McGrath, eventually lost control and hit a wall, Botieri said. The officers ordered him out of the car, but he instead backed into one of the cruisers, then accelerated forward, hitting a utility pole and driving toward the two officers, according to Botieri.
The police opened fire, killing McGrath, who was alone in the car.
“It’s a tragedy when something like this happens,” Botieri said.
The owner of the liquor store, Steve Berg, said a glass door was cracked. “It looked like somebody struck the door with a rock,” he told The Patriot Ledger of Quincy.