DA identifies man shot, killed after ramming SUV into Leicester Police station

LEICESTER, Mass. — Worcester County District Attorney Joseph Early has identified Zachary Richardson, 24, of Leicester as the man who intentionally rammed an SUV into the Leicester Police Department Sunday morning.

According to authorities, Richardson pointed a rifle at responding police. He was shot and killed by police.

“I’ve grown up here, I raised my boys here. This is a big thing and shakes you to the core,” Kelly Moisan told me as her neighbor’s name was publicly revealed.

Moian and other neighbors said they knew Richarson struggled in life, but they had no idea his life would end like this.

“I really don’t have any words, especially with an event like this, there is nothing to be said,” Zackery Squires told me.

Richardson lived with his parents on Trenton Street, about two miles away from the police station. At the house, they asked to be left alone to grieve.

Neighbors tell me they would often see Richardson driving too fast on these back roads, and it got him into trouble. Last fall, Leicester Police moved to suspend his license for an incident a block away from his home.

According to police reports, he was charged for allegedly driving an SUV up onto neighbors’ lawns and driving on his tire rims last October.

Miguel Garcia heard the noise as his front lawn was dug up.

“It was like dragging the axle, metal hitting the street, that’s what I heard,” Garcia said.

According to a Leicester Police officer, Richardson swore at him and made obscene gestures when the officer tried to talk to him. The officer suspected Richardson may have been drinking. The police mailed Zachary a citation, which was still active at the time of his death.

Now, months later, neighbors are left wondering what might have caused Sunday’s unexplained violence.

The DA says the case is still under investigation.

Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW