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Hospital valet now in critical condition, investigation to look at whether suspect specifically shot him or whether he was hit as police fired at suspect

Boston Police this afternoon released some preliminary information on the morning incident that ended with a Brigham and Women's Hospital valet wounded, the suspect dead, the hospital locked down and several cars damaged in a crash that shut the westbound side of Rte. 9 in Brookline.

Police Superintendent-in-Chief Gregory Long said at a press conference that somebody called 911 around 9:20 a.m. to report a man with a gun at Fenwood Road and Vining Street outside the hospital. When officers arrived, they "engaged" the man, who pointed the gun at them. The officers opened fire, the man physically attacked one of the officers on the ground and then he jumped into his car, Long said.

The man, whom Long did not identify, drove up to Huntington Avenue and then onto Rte. 9 in Brookline, with officers in pursuit - joined by a state trooper who happened to be on or near Rte. 9 at the time. The man got to Hammond Street - in front of the Chestnut Hill Star Market and crashed into several cars, Long said.

Long said the man got out and took out a gun. Several officers and the trooper ordered him to drop the gun, but he did not and they opened fire on him, critically wounding him. He was taken to Beth Israel Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, Long said. Several of the officers were also taken to local hospitals for observation - standard practice for officers who have fired their guns. He said all have been released.

As that was happening, Brigham and Women emergency-room doctors and nurses rushed outside to care for the 49-year-old valet and the hospital went into lockdown mode as police flooded the area and shut Fenwood and surrounding streets.

Long said that police are still investigating exactly why the man went on a rampage or how the valet got shot - he could not say if the suspect targeted the valet specifically or if he were hit by the gunfire aimed at police officers.

Assistant Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel Mulhern said that in addition to investigations by Boston, Brookline and State Police, his office would conduct a separate investigation, standard procedure whenever police officers fatally shoot somebody.

But he did say "this was an isolated incident,"

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Comments

In the headline you say "whether suspect specifically shot him or whether he was hit as police fired at suspect"

And then in the second graf "When officers arrived, they "engaged" the man, who pointed the gun at them. The officers opened fire, the man physically attacked one of the officers on the ground and then he jumped into his car, Long said."

Both of which imply that it was the officers doing the firing in the confrontation, not the suspect.

But then in the sixth graf you say "could not say if the suspect targeted the valet specifically or if he were hit by the gunfire aimed at police officers."

Did the suspect fire at police on Fenwood Road?

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There are a couple of possible scenarios here:

1) The suspect first shot the valet, who was standing in front of the hospital, for some reason we don't yet know, then was confronted by police at Fenwood and Vining, or,

2) The valet was hit by a police bullet as they opened fire on the suspect who was refusing to drop his gun at that intersection of Fenwood and Vining (which is a short distance from the hospital entrance; and again, we don't know why he had a gun out). Long said he couldn't say yet where the bullet that hit the valet came from, that that's still under investigation.

Does that make sense, or am I still confusing things?

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and thanks. I hope the valet pulls through.

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The shooter has been identified. He had a long history of mental illness including previously assaulting a police officer. He may have targeted the valet because he was off his psychiatric medications.

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It’s tragic that Mr. Root was not institutionalized. A few years ago I had a random and scary run in with him (did not know him before the run in) that made me fear for my life so much that I called my parents and best friends, and gave them his name in case I suddenly got killed. He was completely out of control and he was a physically big, strong young man. My heart breaks that the help he needed wasn’t available to him.

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Have a long history with Mental Health care.

"The three-story 20 Vining St. building houses Mass Mental’s “Partial Hospital” on its first floor and the temporary residential Fenwood Inn program on its second and third" according to the Mission Hill Gazette.

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The police still haven't stated for certain whether the suspect even had an actual gun.. Which seems strange, given that the officers fired at him and (possibly) injured him, but he was still able to assault an officer and get in his car to drive away..

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did this guy have a gun on him or not? did he shoot the valet? did he have a gun at stop and shop? were boston police the first police to engage? i know a statie joined the chase but who was at stop and shop? state? boston? brookline? newton? why is there so little info about this story?

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Weird sequence of events, no motive, involves BPD, I will wait for undoctored footage to be released before taking the police report as gospel.

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was "what appeared to be a gun" replaced with "gun" several times here? i don't see what is updated? did this guy have a gun? who shot the valet?

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The shooting lasted just 3 and a half seconds, according to investigators. During that time, investigators say Root was shot 26 times. Police say they collected 31 shell casings from that scene.

Root was found with an air pistol and two paintball guns, investigators said.

fox25 news

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