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Man injured in police-involved shooting in Easton identified

EASTON, Mass. — Authorities on Monday identified a man injured in a police-involved shooting that rattled a quiet residential neighborhood in Easton over the weekend.

29-year-old Serge J. Andre Jr. of Hyde Park is currently in serious condition at Boston Medical Center, according to the Bristol County district attorney's office.

Police charged Andre with attempt to commit a crime-breaking and entering, failure to stop for police, reckless driving and driving a motor vehicle with a suspended license, subsequent offense. He could face additional charges, authorities said.

The Taunton District Court clerk's office may arraign Andre via videoconference later Monday afternoon or on Tuesday, the DA's office said.

Meanwhile, neighbors in the neighborhood were still shaken, one day after the shooting. No officers were injured. The shots fired struck some residential homes.

“Basically bullets started flying," said Nancy Davenport, who was in her kitchen with her two daughters when she heard a crash and gunshots.

“We saw the plaster from the wall blow through and we just went and hid out in the bathroom," she said.

A high-speed chase had just ended when gunfire erupted at Bay and Allen roads at around 2 p.m. Sunday.

It all started when officers were called to Bay Road for reports of a suspicious man knocking on someone's door while the suspect's car sat in their driveway.

Once police arrived, the suspect, later identified as Andre, got in his car and drove off at a high speed, refusing to stop for police.

Police immediately began chasing the suspect, but called off the chase because the suspect was driving at such a high speed.

"The officers attempted to stop this vehicle but as it continued to accelerate the supervisor called it off," said Easton Police Chief Gary Sullivan.

Not too far from the address where officers were called to, at the intersection of Bay and Allen roads, the suspect crashed with another car.

When officers got to the scene of the crash, they say the suspect got out of his car and allegedly pointed what looked like a handgun at them, prompting one of the officers to fire a shot at the suspect.

"The subject appeared to have exited the vehicle and pointed what the officers believe to be a handgun at them, and fearing for their safety, the officers drew their firearms and fired at this subject," said Chief Sullivan.

Davenport said the gunfire "was like a movie, to think it was, you know, a gun battle or something going on out here with all the gunfire and all of the vehicles out here."

The Easton mother said she doesn't know how long the gunfire lasted, but she remembers passing the time by praying.

"Just praying that we were going to be OK," Davenport said. "You know, we didn’t know what was going to happen. If anyone was going to come into the house or what was going on outside so it was just a very scary few minutes."

Davenport's home was hit six times with bullets. Two of those bullets went through the side panel and into her living room, leaving the mother of two uneasy.

"I mean, it was terrifying. And it’s pretty upsetting that you can just be standing in your house and have a bullet come right through your kitchen," Davenport said.

After Andre went down, both officers provided medical care on scene and a third officer was called in for back up.

As protocol demands, all three officers were taken to the hospital for evaluation. They have since been released from the hospital without any injuries.

The driver of the other car involved in the crash was evaluated at the scene and cleared.

Easton Police are not equipped with body cameras and their cruisers do not have dashboard cameras.

Residents in the area tell Boston 25 News they were alarmed at the police activity going on in their neighborhood on Sunday, saying it's usually quiet.

Thankfully, no one in the neighborhood was injured.

“It’s just nerve-wracking to see all the bullet holes all over the place in the middle of Bay Road," said Steve Lippert, an Easton resident.

Lippert was at a Cub Scout meeting when his teenage son called him.

“I was on the couch and I heard some banging noises and I didn’t think much of it but then I looked out the window and there were police everywhere and my neighbor was running past and it was crazy," said Lippert. "My neighbor was running and just said go back in the house because there’s gunshots.”

“There were just bullet holes all over [his neighbor's] house and when we went inside there was a bullet hole that went right in the middle of the dining room into the adjacent wall and then when I walked over to my property I realized that they had shot my truck and camper so it was pretty close to where my son was," he said.

While Chief Sullivan says two officers shot at the suspect, hitting him at least once, neighbors say some of those shots hit their homes.

Chief Sullivan says it's still under investigation whether the suspect actually had a gun or not.

This incident remains under investigation by the Bristol County DA's office and State Police.