By O’Ryan Johnson
The Boston Herald
DORCHESTER, Mass. — As a U.S. Army Special Operations sergeant Timothy Walsh was awarded an Army Commendation for Valor for storming a heavy machine gun post that had pinned down his men, but as a state trooper his life careened out of control early yesterday morning in an explosion of booze, car crashes and gunfire.
Walsh, 41, an 18-year veteran of the Massachusetts State Police, is accused of pointing his gun at a Boston cop in a bizarre sequence of events that left him facing charges of assault with a dangerous weapon, illegal discharge of a firearm and operating under the influence. He is expected to be arraigned tomorrow.
The incident began when Walsh allegedly slammed into three parked cars along South Monroe Terrace in Dorchester about 1:20 a.m., according to a police report. The racket woke several of his neighbors, one of them an off-duty Hub cop who confronted Walsh at the trooper’s home and told him to wait for police to arrive. Walsh then walked into the hallway, pulled a handgun from a bureau drawer and pointed it at his neighbor and fellow officer, the report states.
The off-duty cop retreated and called police, who arrived in time to hear Walsh fire the gun inside his home.
Walsh, who has a license to carry firearms, walked out of his home and was ordered by police to put his hands up and lay down, but refused, according to the report, spurring police to tackle him.
“We are grateful beyond words that no one — not the Boston police officers, not an innocent bystander and not trooper Walsh — was injured, or worse, by gunfire,” said state police spokesman David Procopio. “We thank the Boston Police for the professionalism and restraint with which they handled this incident.”
Procopio said Walsh has been on military leave for the past five years. He had been assigned to Troop D barracks in Norwell, but surrendered his firearm and cruiser when he went on military leave, Procopio said.
In 2009, when he was an engineer sergeant assigned to the Special Operations Task Force in Afghanistan, his 84-commando team was caught in crossfire from enemy AK-47s and heavy machine guns, according to a citation that was read when he was awarded the U.S. Army Commendation for Valor. Walsh leaped from behind cover and charged the enemy.
“He then provided covering fire with his rifle and grenade launcher while the commandos manning the position maneuvered to the north,” the citation reads, as copied in a state police newsletter. Then, “when he noticed his teammate dragging a commando with a life-threatening gunshot wound,” Walsh stood his ground under fire until the wounded soldier was behind cover.
Procopio said an internal hearing Tuesday will determine whether Walsh is placed on unpaid leave.
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