SWAT team officer shot during standoff in Spencer, gunman killed by police
A Millbury police officer, who is also a member of the CEMLEC SWAT Team, was shot multiple times at a shopping plaza in Spencer Tuesday night, according to Millbury Police Chief Brian S. Lewos. The gunman was shot and killed by police shortly after.
Jeff Travers, the 1st Assistant Worcester County District Attorney, said police were initially called to 20 Main Street in Spencer just after 5 p.m. and found one person suffering from a gunshot wound. Police said 12 minutes after that incident, a person matching the shooter’s description was located in the area of West Main Street.
Travers said when officers approached the suspect, he shot at them and then fled to the Family Dollar store at the Big Y Plaza on Route 9. The building was quickly evacuated as law enforcement pursued the suspect.
The CEMLEC SWAT team, the regional SWAT Team for central Massachusetts, was part of that response and police said they located the suspect barricaded inside a bathroom in the back of the store.
Police said the suspect then shot at police, hitting and injuring a Millbury police officer who is part of that SWAT team at approximately 7:40 p.m. Officers returned fire at that time, and the suspect was killed.
The officer was rushed to the hospital by ambulance with injuries considered to be non-life-threatening and is expected to survive. Lewos said Tuesday night that the officer is in stable condition.
— Residents react to shooting in Spencer —
Police said they are not releasing the identity the victims or the gunman at this time.
The victim from the shooting on Main Street remains in the hospital. No word on their condition.
Police are asking drivers and residents to avoid the area as part of Route 9 is closed at this time.
Lewos said this was an isolated, targeted incident and there is no threat to the public.
The Worcester County District Attorney’s Office, the Spencer Police Department, and Massachusetts State Police detectives and crime scene services are investigating.
This is a developing news story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest details.
