SPENCER, Mass. — A Millbury police officer who was among the scores of law enforcement officers who responded to a barricaded man at a Spencer shopping plaza on Tuesday night was shot several times before officers returned fire and killed the armed suspect, officials say.
Millbury police say the officer, who is also a member of the CEMLEC SWAT team, was shot multiple times around 7:40 p.m. by a suspect who had barricaded themselves inside the Family Dollar store along Route 9 in Spencer.
The officer, who has not been identified, is in stable condition, according to Millbury police.
The suspect was later shot and killed by officers, Worcester County Assistant District Attorney Jeffrey Travers said in a press conference late Tuesday night.
“This is the only information available at this time,” Millbury Police Chief Brian S. Lewos said in a statement. “We ask that you keep the officer, the officer’s family and fellow officers in mind during this difficult time.”
Officers were first called to a home on Main Street for a reported person with gunshot wounds.
Just under 15 minutes later, the man allegedly suspected in the shooting was spotted walking down West Main Street. When officers approached, the man allegedly fired his gun at the officers before running into the Family Dollar at the Big Y shopping plaza.
Staff and customers were safely evacuated from the store while the armed man allegedly barricaded himself in the bathroom area at the back of the store, according to Travers.
When members of the CEMLEC SWAT team entered the store, the suspect opened fire, striking the Millbury officer multiple times, Travers said.
Officers then returned fire, striking and killing the armed man, according to Travers.
The identity of the suspect has not been released at this time.
Route 9 was shut down for several hours as police and other emergency crews responded.
Spencer police first alerted residents to the ongoing police investigation around 6:15 p.m., around an hour and a half before the officer was shot.
Members of Massachusets State Police, as well as officers from towns like Spencer, Leicester and Millbury were among the agencies that responded to the situation.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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