MA Woman Dies After Officer Opens Fire

EASTON, MA — The Bristol County District Attorney’s Office is investigating an officer-involved shooting involving a member of the Easton Police Department, according to a police statement. Emergency dispatchers received a 911 call from an Ashland resident at 11:30 a.m. Sunday requesting a well-being check for a family member on Spooner Street threatening to harm herself.

Easton officers arrived and found a 56-year-old woman in possession of a weapon. Officers located other residents in the home and evacuated them from the house for their safety, according to the statement.

Police requested assistance from the Metro-Lec regional response team and set up a perimeter. The woman then approached the front entryway of the home still in possession of a weapon. An Easton officer, fearing for their safety, fired a single shot at the woman, according to the statement.

The woman remained inside the home while negotiators attempted to speak to her by phone. Members of the regional response team entered the home and found the woman deceased.

The officer involved has been placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation, per Easton Police Department policies.

The Bristol County District Attorney’s Office is investigating. State police assigned to the office will lead the investigation.

The woman was not identified, and police have not said what weapon she was armed with.