SPENCER, Mass. (AP) - Massachusetts police responding to a domestic violence report have shot and killed a man wielding what turned out to be a pellet gun.
Spencer police said on their official Facebook page that officers tried to stop a car driven by a man thought to have been involved in a domestic violence situation around 8:30 p.m. Sunday.
Police say after a brief pursuit, the driver pulled into a driveway, exited the car and pointed the pistol at Officer Brandon Fullam.
Thinking the man was armed with a handgun, Fullam fired a single shot and hit the man. The Worcester District Attorney’s office on Monday identified the victim as 49-year-old Walter H. Lynde, of East Brookfield.
Lynde was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Fullam has been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation.
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