Associated Press
BOSTON — The six police officers who shot and killed a man who crashed his car shortly after a confrontation with an officer outside a Boston hospital were justified in their use of deadly force, investigators have concluded.
Police killed Juston Root, 41, in Brookline on Feb. 7. Root had fled the scene of a shooting outside Brigham and Women’s Hospital just a few miles a way, during which a hospital valet was accidentally shot by police.
After the crash, Root appeared to pull a gun, according a report released Monday by Norfolk District Attorney Michael Morrissey.
“Boston and state police officers loudly and repeatedly issued appropriate commands that Root should show his hands and get on the ground,” the report said.
Root was shot 26 times and 31 shell casings were recovered at the scene. The shooting lasted less than 3.5 seconds, according to the report.
Following the shooting, police found that Root had what appeared to be a black semi-automatic handgun, which police later determined was a BB pistol, Morrissey wrote.
Prosecutors “will take no further action relative to these six officers as to the performance and execution of their duties,” the report said.
Root had a history of mental illness, his parents said in previous interviews.