Boston police officer indicted for shooting death of Dorchester man

BOSTON — A Boston police officer has been indicted by a grand jury for voluntary manslaughter in the March shooting death of a Dorchester man.

34-year-old Nicholas O’Malley was arrested and charged with voluntary manslaughter after responding to a report of a carjacking.

39-year-old Stephenson King Jr. was sitting in a stolen car when O’Malley and other officers approached him.

Stephenson King’s family calls for police bodycam footage release amid investigation

The Commonwealth alleges that O’Malley shot and killed King without legal justification after he backed into the unoccupied cruiser and started to drive away.

O’Malley claims that he feared the second officer would be struck by a car, which the Commonwealth alleges contradicts the evidence.

Court docs reveal why Boston officer is facing manslaughter charge in shooting of alleged carjacker

O’Malley is represented by high powered attorney David Yanetti, who represented Karen Read in both her murder trials.

In a statement on X, Yannetti described O’Malley as a “a good man who finds himself falsely accused of manslaughter because he performed his sworn duty and defended his fellow officers when confronted by a dangerous criminal with an established history of violence and felonies.”

“We will not rest,” the statement continued, “until officer O’Malley is rightfully acquitted.”

Thousands of dollars have been raised to support O’Malley. O’Malley has pleaded not guilty. Attorney Benjamin Crump is representing the family of Stephenson King.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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