BPD officer arraigned after allegedly discharging personal weapon, wounding wife

BOSTON — A Boston Police officer is facing charges after allegedly discharging his personal weapon and wounding his wife while off duty on Christmas Eve.

When officers responded to a call for a person shot at a residential area in Hyde Park, they found a woman suffering from a gunshot wound that wasn't deemed to be life-threatening. She was transported to a local hospital for treatment.

After investigating, officers determined Korey Franklin, 32, was responsible for firing his personal weapon, resulting in his wife's injuries.

"We take this incident, and all incidents that involve police officers, very seriously," Boston Police Commissioner William Gross responded in a statement. "This arrest clearly shows that the Boston Police Department has the ability to police ourselves and that we hold our officers to the same standards as the citizens we serve and protect."

Franklin, an officer who's received an award for his service, was arrested, and was arraigned Monday in West Roxbury Municipal Court on charges of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon -- under a theory of recklessness -- and misleading an investigator.

"The charge against him is essentially that he was acting recklessly and creating a risk that he knew or should’ve known was unreasonable by handling a loaded firearm in that way while it was pointed at the victim," a prosecutor said.

Though prosecutors concede there's no evidence showing Franklin intentionally shot her, he's accused of lying to 911 dispatchers, and later his fellow officers investigating.

"When the victim started to call 911 and was unable to complete the call, the defendant took over the phone and first, simply said that there was a person shot at their address, then called back to say that his wife had shot herself," a prosecutor said.

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Assistant District Attorney Ian Polumbaum recommended $5,000 bail and ordered that Franklin stay away from the victim, undergo a mental health evaluation, surrender all firearms and not leave the state without the approval of probation officers.

Franklin will return to court on Feb. 5.

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