A man was shot by police by the parking garage of the MGM Springfield casino after officials said he shot a Springfield police officer with a flare gun.
Security found shell casings in the man’s backpack and denied him entry to the casino, police said. When officers searched the 24-year-old Springfield man in a nearby alley off of State Street, he fired a flare gun, hitting a Springfield police officer, according to Massachusetts State Police spokesperson David Procopio.
The man ran and took cover in the casino parking garage and continued firing at police, officials said. Springfield and state police troopers responded to the scene and shot the man.
The injured officer was brought to Baystate Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries. The suspect was also brought to the hospital with serious injuries. He is in critical condition, Procopio said.
By 6 a.m., a Springfield police forensics truck was still parked outside the casino parking garage. The ground-level valet parking entrance to the garage was cordoned off with police tape. Several Massachusetts State Police cruisers were parked nearby.
Springfield police detectives are investigating the shooting and reviewing body camera footage from the officers involved. The Hampden District Attorney’s office was aware of the incident, police said.
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