By MES Dispatch staff
The Briefing
• A Boston Police officer was indicted on a voluntary manslaughter charge in connection with a fatal March shooting.
• The indictment stems from the March 11 death of a Dorchester man during a carjacking response in Roxbury.
• Officer Nicholas O’Malley is accused of unjustifiably firing on the suspect’s vehicle as it tried to flee.
• The case is now moving to Suffolk Superior Court for further proceedings.
• The shooting and charges have drawn attention from legal representatives for both sides.
BOSTON, MA — A grand jury on Wednesday indicted a Boston Police officer on a voluntary manslaughter charge tied to a March 11 fatal shooting of a carjacking suspect, Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden’s office announced.
Officer Nicholas O’Malley, 34, was charged in the death of Stephenson King Jr., 39, who was struck and killed by gunfire during a police response to a reported carjacking in the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston.
Prosecutors allege King was sitting in a stolen car when officers, including O’Malley, approached the vehicle; King then backed into an unoccupied cruiser and began to drive away, at which point O’Malley fired shots that struck King.
Authorities contend the shooting lacked legal justification under department policy and state law, while defense attorneys for O’Malley have said he acted to protect fellow officers.
The indictment moves the case to Suffolk Superior Court, where O’Malley is expected to be arraigned at a later date; he has previously pleaded not guilty in municipal court and remains suspended.
King’s family and legal representatives have called for transparency in the handling of evidence, including body camera footage captured during the incident, as the criminal process continues.