Massachusetts law enforcement has been involved in a prolonged standoff with a 21-year-old man who barricaded himself in his residence after shooting two family members and subsequently opening fire on the responding officers, Your Content has learned.
The Worcester Police Department has been engaged in negotiations with the unidentified individual since the incident occurred around 8:30 a.m. at a residence on Colby Avenue. Prompt action by the officers allowed for the safe extraction of the male and female victims from the house. However, when they attempted to apprehend the suspect, they were met with a barrage of bullets.
Fortunately, none of the officers were hit by the gunfire, as confirmed by Worcester Police Lieutenant Sean Murtha during a press conference. Lieutenant Murtha stated, “During their attempts to take him into custody, he fired rounds at the officers — thankfully not striking any of them. At that point, he ran back into the house. And so at this time, we believe he’s still inside.”
Authorities have been on the scene for over ten hours, employing hostage negotiators and a mental health clinician in an effort to establish communication with the man, who is currently alone in the residence. Expert assistance has been sought to engage the family members in finding a resolution.
“We do have some potential phone numbers to call,” Murtha revealed. “We have a loudspeaker. There are various ways that we can attempt to make contact. And again, in a situation like this, time is on our side, generally. We want to slow things down. We want to do everything we can to ensure a peaceful resolution.”
In order to monitor the suspect’s movements and prevent his escape, law enforcement is utilizing drones, although they remain uncertain about his precise location within the house. The individual has not made any contact with the police or responded to their tactics thus far, according to New York Post.