BOSTON — A Boston police officer shot a man who was allegedly stabbing another man during a fight late Monday in Dorchester’s neighborhood of Fields Corner, according to Boston Police Commissioner William Gross.
Two Boston police officers were patrolling in the area of 207 Adams Street around 11:30 p.m. when they saw a man stab another man with a knife in a “violent attack," Gross said during a news conference Tuesday morning.
They arrested 32-year-old Luis Gomes, who allegedly stabbed the victim once in the neck and twice in the back. When one of the officers attempted to physically separate the two, Gomes tried to stab the officer, Gross said.
The officer’s partner shot Gomes in the thigh, put a tourniquet on his leg and rendered first aid, Gross added.
Both Gomes and the victim were brought to local hospitals and are listed in stable condition. Neither officer was injured in the incident, officials said.
Gross said a knife was recovered from the scene.
Police are talking to neighbors and reviewing surveillance footage. They are asking anyone who may have seen something to contact police.
When do officers use deadly force?
Boston police are investigating their second incident within a few days, in which officers used deadly force.
On Friday, Boston police investigators say officers used deadly force to stop a man they say showed what appeared to be a gun. Monday night, officers trying to break up a fight in Field's Corner also fired shots at a man they say was coming at them with a knife.
Former Boston Police Superintendent-in-Chief Dan Linskey sat down with us to explain how officers make the decision to use deadly force.
"We don't train officers to wait for someone to fire the round," Linskey said. "We train officers if they are threatened or the lives of others are threatened that they can utilize lethal force to defend themselves or others."
Linskey says officers are trained to use this type of force as a last resort.
"Where officers are trying to get distance and back up to give verbal commands. We have a lot of people in mental health crises. We don't want to yell at them," Linskey said.
In this Monday night incident, police say the man had a knife when one of the officers ended up firing at him.
"At 21 feet, I can take a knife out, open it and stab you before you can get your gun out of your holster," Linskey said.
One woman says she was across the street and heard the police say "put the knife down" multiple times and then a minute later, she heard the shot.
Linskey also explains why officers don't fire their weapons at someone's arm or leg to stop them that way.
"We want to stop that threat. And we train officers around the globe to shoot center mass. The odds of hitting a hand or a leg or somewhere else, you are most likely going to miss," he said.
Boston police do use other forms of force like beanbag guns and tasers but that isn’t standard equipment for field officers.
Correction: This story originally said that the victim was a 32-year-old man. Boston Police are now reporting the suspect is a 32-year-old man.
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