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A Boston police officer faces manslaughter charges after authorities said he shot and killed a suspected carjacker last week, according to reports.
Boston 25 reported that 33-year-old Officer Nicholas O’Malley of Randolph, Massachusetts, was charged with manslaughter and arraigned in Roxbury District Court on Thursday afternoon. During his arraignment, a not guilty plea was entered for him as dozens of fellow officers packed the courtroom.
The judge presiding over the arraignment allowed O’Malley to be released on his own recognizance under the condition that he surrender all firearms in his possession.
According to charging documents obtained by Boston 25, investigators determined there is probable cause to believe O’Malley committed voluntary manslaughter by intentionally firing at 39-year-old Stephenson King and causing his death without acting in proper self-defense or defense of another.
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A Boston police officer faces manslaughter charges after prosecutors say he fatally shot an unarmed carjacking suspect without justified self-defense. (Jonathan Wiggs/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
Officers were initially responding to a reported carjacking on Tremont Street, where a woman told police she had been sitting in the passenger seat of her running vehicle when a man later identified as King allegedly assaulted her, dragged her out and drove off in the car, according to investigators.
The documents state O’Malley and another officer approached the stolen vehicle with their firearms drawn and ordered King to show his hands, shut off the car and unlock the doors. King, at times, raised his hands and partially opened his window but did not fully comply.
Authorities say O’Malley then warned, “Bro, I’m gonna f***ing shoot you,” before King reversed into a cruiser and shifted between reverse and drive in an apparent attempt to flee. As the vehicle moved forward again, O’Malley re-drew his firearm and fired three shots through the driver’s side window, striking King.
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A Boston police officer faces manslaughter charges after prosecutors say he fatally shot an unarmed carjacking suspect without justified self-defense. (Craig F. Walker/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
After being shot, King drove a short distance before crashing into a stone wall. Officers pulled him from the vehicle and attempted lifesaving measures before he was pronounced dead at a hospital, according to the report.
Investigators said O’Malley later claimed King “tried to run us over,” but body camera footage and witness accounts showed neither officer was in the vehicle’s path at the time of the shooting. O’Malley told investigators he believed his partner was about to be crushed, but authorities determined that belief was not reasonable.
According to the autopsy, King was struck three times, with two bullets recovered from his torso and another found in the car’s passenger-side seat. Investigators said no weapon was found on King or inside the vehicle.
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A Boston police officer faces manslaughter charges after prosecutors say he fatally shot an unarmed carjacking suspect without justified self-defense. (iStock)
Investigators also pointed to Massachusetts law prohibiting officers from firing at a moving vehicle unless necessary to prevent imminent harm and requiring that force be proportionate to the threat.
The Boston Police Department did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment or for the body camera footage.
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Boston 25 reported that Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden said the video will not be publicly released due to the ongoing investigation.
O’Malley is scheduled to return to court in May.