A shootout ensued following a traffic stop Wednesday night in Logan, leaving a man dead and a police officer injured.
Police said a squad car pulled over a Kia sedan at around 6:45 p.m. near the corner of 15th Street and Somerville Avenue for allegedly not stopping at a stop sign.
After a brief interaction, the two officers went back to their vehicle and ran the names of the four people inside the car. Two, the driver and 24-year-old James Alexander, had outstanding arrest warrants, authorities said.
Alexander was wanted for jumping bail in Wisconsin, and the driver, who police did not identify, had a warrant for parole violations, according to investigators.
The officers called for back-up, and two more marked police cars showed up. A total of six officers approached the sedan and ordered the driver and Alexander to get out of the car, police said.
Alexander allegedly pulled out a handgun when an officer asked if he had a firearm. Police said the officers retreated, and Alexander fired a shot from inside the car.
Authorities, based on witness testimony, body camera footage and ballistic evidence, believe he fired two more shots after getting out of the sedan.
Detectives recovered a 40-caliber handgun at the scene and three spent 40-caliber shell casings. None of the officers who responded to the incident were armed with 40-caliber weapons, police said.
Investigators found 28 other shell casings, presumably from the officers’ guns.
Five officers returned fire, hitting Alexander multiple times in the torso, according to a preliminary investigation. He died a short time later at Einstein Medical Center.
An officer was shot once in the left foot, authorities said. He was treated at Einstein and released.
The others in the car— two men and one woman — were not injured, nor were any other officers or bystanders, police said.
At least two of the other people in the car told detectives that Alexander had informed them that he had a gun and said he did not want to go back to jail, according to authorities.
“Utilizing deadly force is one of the most difficult decisions that an officer will ever face,” Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said in a statement Thursday.
“These actions have long-lasting effects on everyone, not just those directly involved in these incidents,” she added. “I want to assure the public that a thorough and complete investigation will be conducted into this police-involved shooting.”
