FIGHT FOR LIFE
Heroic Boston Marathon cop shot & in coma
A HIGHLY DECORATED Boston police officer is fighting for his life after being shot in the face “point-blank” Friday by a “violent” career criminal.
Officer John Moynihan, 34, was shot below the right eye by suspect Angelo West, 41, who emptied his revolver at cops during a routine traffic stop in the city’s Roxbury neighborhood, Boston Police Commissioner William Evans said during a press conference Saturday.
West emptied his .357 Magnum handgun before he was shot dead on the scene, officials said.
The “nearly assassination-style” shooting on the six-year Boston police veteran was unprovoked, Evans and the Rev. Mark Scott said.
“The officer probably didn’t even have a chance to even say anything,” Evans said. “No one had any indication of what might happen.”
Moynihan, a former Army Ranger who served in Iraq, was taken to Boston Medical Center, where he is in a medically induced coma with a bullet still lodged behind his right ear.
The critically injured cop is undergoing tests and being monitored for bleeding in his brain.
His shooter, who authorities say has a criminal history with several prior gun convictions, had continued firing at the other five gang task force officers as he tried to flee the scene, Evans said.
Witness videos, which have not been released to the public, show the cop barely exchanging words with the driver before he was blasted in the face about 6:40 p.m., Evans said. None of the officers involved had their guns drawn before the attack.
“We’re just all very lucky that he’s still with us today,” Evans said. “We’re hoping and praying there’s no further damage.”
Moynihan was honored by the White House with a National Association of Police Organizations’ “Top Cop Award” in 2014 for his role in the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombing the previous year.
He helped gravely wounded transit Officer Richard Donohue during a shootout with Boston bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev on April 19, 2013.
“He’s a strong kid,” Evans said. “He’s a fighter. He’s going to pull through.”
Two other people who were in the car with the suspect are being questioned by police.
A female driver caught in the crossfire was treated for a minor flesh wound on her arm and is recovering, Evans said.
“These acts of violence have no place in our neighborhoods,” Boston Mayor Marty Walsh said. “We are thankful for all of those who put their lives on the line every day to protect our city.”