Police are investigating a chaotic crime scene in Massachusetts where a man reportedly stole a semi truck, crashed it into a home, and fatally shot two people before police killed him.
On Saturday afternoon in Winthrop, Massachusetts, a small beachside community on the outskirts of Boston, a man stole a box truck from a plumbing company before going on a rampage, according to police, hitting another driver before ploughing the car into a house.
“A preliminary investigation indicates that the male suspect allegedly stole a box truck owned by a plumbing and drain company and then crashed into a residential building on Veterans Road,” Winthrop Police chief Terence M Delehanty said in statement. “Following the crash the suspect emerged from the truck and fled on foot. At some point shortly thereafter, the suspect, who was armed with a firearm, is believed to have shot the two adult victims.”
Neighbours reportedly rushed outside after hearing the crash, and the driver began shooting, killing a man and a woman whose names haven’t been released.
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Police located the suspect near the scene and began shooting. The driver reportedly died later that day at a hospital. The people in the car that the truck struck as well as a police officer were taken to a hospital with non life-threatening injuries.
Officials including the Winthrop Police, state police, and SWAT teams reported to the incident, a sprawling crime scene that stretches across multiple blocks and vehicles.
“He started jogging, then I heard the ‘boom, boom, boom, boom,’” Robert Harrington, who lives in the area, told NBC Boston.
“I looked down and the next thing I saw is the body in the middle of the street,” said Robert Harrington. “So, I ran down, got behind the car ‘cause the shots were still going. You could see the smoke from the gun.”
Authorities have not released the identity of any of the victims, but CBS Boston reports that one is a retired Massachusetts State Police trooper.
Video of the scene showed a demolished home with a truck crashed into it, with some sections having little more than doorframes still left standing.
The officer who fired at the suspect is on administrative leave, while the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office investigates the shooting, as is standard procedure.
