Woman dead, 3 Somerville officers stabbed in domestic incident

[Shortstuff]

I've read all the posts in this topic and it just appears to me that the OP just wanted to post what happened and as I think most would agree, what happened was very unfortunate. Unfortunate for that woman and those who knew her personally as well as the officers directly involved and their families. She was someones daughter after all.

I'm just the new kid on the block here (as you can see by my join date and post count) so if anyone wants to slam me please feel free to do so. But I have been around a few years and like many, I've learned not to accept media reports as gossip. The only ones who really know exactly what happened in that incident were the people who were there. None of us can second-guess what happened and I don't think it would be fair to assume anything. There are perhaps a thousand or more scenarios that can be thought of as to what "may" have happened or "should" have happened or was deadly force justified, not-justified, and the list could go on and on.

I feel pretty confident that a very thorough investigation (or two or three) will be conducted and the truth will eventually be told. All we know for sure is that a woman is dead and the future of 3 police officers are hanging in the balance. All my life I have always held the highest respect for LEO's and have a pretty good understanding of what their lives are like, but more importantly, I know that they do in fact put their lives at risk every single day to protect people just like me. Yes I know that there are a few (very few) LEO's who abuse their authority, etc., but in general they are a good lot of men and women who are held to a very high standard of professionalism by everyone.

I can only hope that none of us are ever confronted with such a situation where a split-second, draw or no-draw, life and death decision has to be made under extreme duress. And on a side note, I am very happy to be a member here and continue to learn more and more each and every day.

Ok, off my soap box.

 

[Tackdriver VillenTactical]

I am a police officer in Somerville and have a role investigating this case. There is much about it I can not tell you until next week when all my reports and other people's reports will be filed. What I will tell you will be based on what I KNOW to be true or at least corrorboratd by at least 8 people who were there. At this point I will say this, that I have NEVER come across or read about a more justifiable shooting.

Dave

 

[DukeNukem]

I am a police officer in Somerville and have a role investigating this case. There is much about it I can not tell you until next week when all my reports and other people's reports will be filed. What I will tell you will be based on what I KNOW to be true or at least corrorboratd by at least 8 people who were there. At this point I will say this, that I have NEVER come across or read about a more justifiable shooting.

Dave

Thanks, and pass along my personal Thanks and well wishes to the Officers invloved for their sacrifices and service.

 

[Palladin]

And the witch hunt begins:

DA investigates police shooting of woman
Had attacked officers with knife
By Patricia Wen, Globe Staff *|* July 25, 2010
The Middlesex District Attorney’s Office yesterday continued to investigate how an emotionally troubled, knife-wielding woman was fatally shot Friday by Somerville police during a chaotic scene involving three officers inside her home.

The death of 33-year-old Carolyn Lynn Kingsley came several hours after she was released from Cambridge Hospital, where she had been taken by emergency responders after a 911 call from neighbors complaining of bitter fighting between her and her boyfriend.

Kingsley, who had a history of alcoholism, depression, and violent outbursts, died after being shot once by an officer. Police have not indicated where the bullet hit her. The three officers, all of whom were treated for multiple puncture wounds, were the only witnesses to the shooting that happened about 6:30 a.m. inside her Sycamore Terrace home.

The officers are on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation, which is standard procedure. The investigation could take several days to two weeks.

Friends of Kingsley have asked how a 5-foot-3-inch, 125-pound woman — even one brandishing a knife — could not be controlled by three male officers without resorting to gunfire.

Kingsley’s former longtime boyfriend, Peter Cusick, 50, said he did not understand why the situation escalated to the point that three officers couldn’t control one relatively small woman. “Why didn’t they just shoot her in the leg?’’ he asked in a phone interview yesterday.

However, others familiar with such investigations point out that the knife wounds suffered by the officers suggest that they did not resort to the use of guns immediately and may have had valid reason to feel their lives were in jeopardy.

Kingsley had a history of police run-ins, including one in which she spit at and kicked officers.

“It’s way too early to say if this is excessive use of police force,’’ said defense attorney Randy Gioia. “She did apparently injure the police with a knife, and a knife is a deadly weapon.’’

Somerville Police Chief Michael Cabral said yesterday that he supports the introduction of Taser stun guns to his force, though he would not speculate whether such devices would have prevented Kingsley’s death.

He said his department has two stun guns and the city is debating the purchase of additional devices for broader use within the police force.

His officers have pepper spray and expandable batons, but Cabral declined to comment on whether these items were used before Kingsley died, or any other aspect of the investigation.

Until more details of this shooting are known, Cabral said, he and others cannot say what factors may have made a difference in an officer’s “split-second decision’’ to pull out a gun.

One Boston defense attorney said that the preliminary facts of this case show numerous missed chances to avert the crisis, including a failed opportunity to detain her overnight — if not longer — at Cambridge Hospital just hours before the police confrontation.

“The system clearly let her down,’’ said Jeffrey Denner, who is not involved in the case. “She shouldn’t have been released from the hospital. Someone made a bad call.’’

About 3 a.m. Friday, Kingsley was taken to Cambridge Hospital by emergency responders who had received a 911 call from neighbors describing loud fighting between Kingsley and her boyfriend.

She was not kept more than a few hours, even though state law enables hospital doctors to detain a person involuntarily for up to four days, without a court order, if they believe the person is a danger, Denner said.

“I think it’s reasonable to conclude that the attending physician saw no reason to keep her,’’ said Doug Bailey, spokesman for Cambridge Hospital.

Bailey would not say why emergency responders brought her to the hospital, whether it was a mental evaluation or treatment of a physical condition.

Soon after Kingsley was released from the hospital, police were called to the Sycamore Terrace home again about 6:30 a.m. after she allegedly hit her boyfriend and tried to set fire to his clothes.

Cusick said Kingsley suffered for years because of excessive drinking and relied on antidepressants. He said her mental state deteriorated after she lost custody of her daughter, then a preschooler, about four years ago. He said when he met her six years ago, Kingsley was a quiet, passive woman with a passion for the Boston Bruins. She did not work but received federal disability payments and food stamps, said Cusick, whose relationship with her ended earlier this year.

Cusick said one day in 2006, a day-care teacher called the state’s child protection agency, saying Kingsley’s daughter had reported that her mother had struck her with a hammer. The allegation sparked an investigation; the child was placed in a foster home and was ultimately adopted.

While Kingsley was allowed to visit her daughter, the removal of the girl from her care was traumatic, Cusick said.

From that point on, he said, she developed a far more volatile, angry side and she routinely consumed six beers nightly.

“It was like Jekyll and Hyde,’’ he said.

Patricia Wen can be reached at [email protected]. *

 

[Half Cocked]

And the witch hunt begins:

What witch hunt?

 

[Mass-diver]

"Why didn't they shoot her in the leg"....classic. How about just shooting the knife out of her hand? How are some people so clueless, although I have to say I saw the BF on the news and you could tell he was a moron.

 

[Palladin]

What witch hunt?

This one. And the fact the Globe is pushing this description as part of their agenda.

Friends of Kingsley have asked how a 5-foot-3-inch, 125-pound woman — even one brandishing a knife — could not be controlled by three male officers without resorting to gunfire.

Kingsley’s former longtime boyfriend, Peter Cusick, 50, said he did not understand why the situation escalated to the point that three officers couldn’t control one relatively small woman. “Why didn’t they just shoot her in the leg?’’ he asked in a phone interview yesterday.

 

[Len-2A Training]

I am a police officer in Somerville and have a role investigating this case. There is much about it I can not tell you until next week when all my reports and other people's reports will be filed. What I will tell you will be based on what I KNOW to be true or at least corrorboratd by at least 8 people who were there. At this point I will say this, that I have NEVER come across or read about a more justifiable shooting.

Dave

Thanks Dave. Thank your troops for me for doing a GOOD JOB!

Please beware that gov folks read here on a regular basis and never publish anything here that could fall on your head if your chief/mayor/etc. read it on NES.

“It’s way too early to say if this is excessive use of police force,’’ said defense attorney Randy Gioia. “She did apparently injure the police with a knife, and a knife is a deadly weapon.’’

This is one of the most moronic statements I've read lately!! Of course, the morons that read the paper will wonder with the "shoot the knife", "shoot the arm", "shoot the leg".

When I had my bathroom (typical of mid-1950s construction) stripped to the studs and rebuilt, there were 5 contractors in this small room one day and they couldn't move without bumping into each other. Now if you have a crazy woman flailing with a knife . . . nobody has room to maneuver in that tiny room!

 

[pdm]

What witch hunt?

Probably a CYA witch hunt to find someone to blame. After all, the politicians (DA's office) are involved.

 

[TheRoland]

Probably a CYA witch hunt to find someone to blame. After all, the politicians (DA's office) are involved.

I was under the impression that was standard. Without knowing anything about this case, it seems to me that if you're actually all stabbed, it's quite a no-brainier, no matter what the decedent's friends say in an interview.

 

[Len-2A Training]

I was under the impression that was standard. Without knowing anything about this case, it seems to me that if you're actually all stabbed, it's quite a no-brainier, no matter what the decedent's friends say in an interview.

In which case the investigation shouldn't take more than 4-5 days, right?

Why do I think that they are trying to play politics with this?

 

[TheRoland]

In which case the investigation shouldn't take more than 4-5 days, right?

Why do I think that they are trying to play politics with this?

I think these things tend to be dragged out until the news story has died.

 

[pdm]

I was under the impression that was standard. Without knowing anything about this case, it seems to me that if you're actually all stabbed, it's quite a no-brainier, no matter what the decedent's friends say in an interview.

One would hope. I lack confidence in DAs/AGs and all the rest. Everyone in those offices always seems to have an eye on the next office up.

 

[MaroonedinMA]

Tasers were made illegal for LEO use in MA back in the 1980s, due to improper use by a PO (knee-jerk reaction). When the MGL was passed allowing LEO use of Tasers a few years ago, they threw so much admin crap into the law that most towns can't afford to deploy them.

Ref: MGL C. 140 S. 131J [I'm sure there is an onerous CMR to go with it, but I don't have a reference to it.

I've been schooled. Gracias.

 

[twogunwilly]

1 knife a month law could have prevented this!

 

[Paulm]

I am a police officer in Somerville

Dave

As a lifelong resident of the city I'd like to thank you and your fellow officers for doing a tough job in a diverse community. Your efforts, along with those of officers' Ramirez, DiFava and DiFronzo, are truly appreciated.

Regards,
Paul

 

[In God We Trust]

Yes, investigations are usually dragged out longer if the case is very political. Once the story dies down, they will be cleared and back on the street doing their jobs. Without knowing all the facts (most of us never will) I would guess that an investigation into this case could have been completed in under a week. A knife is a deadly weapon and responding with deadly force when threatened with one is appropriate. Good job by the officers involved and I hope it all works out for them.