LOWELL, Mass. — Police are investigating an officer-involved shooting in Lowell that happened late Saturday night. One man was left dead.
A neighbor said he heard five quick gun shots. He said he could see the suspect on the ground outside the home and saw officers surrounding him. The neighbor told FOX25 that police shot the man inside the home and then took him outside to perform CPR.
“I'm telling you, it had to be five shots, at least. Everyone's saying three. No, there was more than three,” Deborah Proulx, another witness, said.
The incident began around 11 p.m., when 39-year-old Jose Perez called 911 and said he was going to kill everyone, according to the Middlesex District Attorney.
When police arrived, they said they found Perez holding a meat cleaver and another large knife.
Police said they ordered him to put the weapons down, but he refused and began moving toward the officers.
Two officers involved fired their guns, hitting Perez. The officers began medical treatment and Perez was taken to Lowell General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
“They worked on this guy for a long time. And they kept him in the ambulance for a long time, working on him,” Proulx said.
As part of Lowell PD policy, the two officers involved were put on administrative leave while police investigate the shooting.