SALEM, Mass. (AP) - The investigation into the fatal shooting of a carjacking suspect by police in Massachusetts last weekend will be handled by the office of the Plymouth district attorney to avoid a possible conflict of interest.
The shooting Sunday of Thomas Murray, 31, of Dracut, occurred in the Essex County town of Newbury.
One of the officers involved was previously assigned to the State Police Detective Unit attached to the office of Essex District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett, he said in a statement Tuesday.
“When police officers use fatal force, the public is entitled to a thorough and transparent investigation,” Blodgett said. “In order to avoid any potential conflict of interest, this matter will be transferred to Plymouth County.”
Murray was shot near a gas station after alleged carjackings in Lowell, and Nashua, New Hampshire. He was also a suspect in car thefts Saturday in Boston and North Andover.
After the shooting, Murray was taken to Anna Jaques Hospital in Newburyport where he was pronounced dead.
The names of the officers involved in the shooting have not been made public.
Murray’s grandfather told WCVB-TV that his grandson has struggled with drug misuse for a decade but appeared to have turned a corner recently.
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