UPDATE: Man Identified in Fatal Officer-Involved Shooting in Newton
911 Call, Radio Transmission Released
NEWTON – Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan has confirmed the identity of the man shot by police in Newton yesterday as Michael Conlon, 28, of Newton.
On January 5, 2021 at approximately 1:43 p.m., Newton Police received the following 911 call from the owner of “Indulge!”, a candy store, reporting a man with a knife. The call can be heard here.
Police were dispatched to the location. The radio transmission can be heard here.
Two Newton Police Officers, one in plainclothes and one uniformed, arrived first on scene and located the 28-year-old male, who lived on the second floor of the building, holding a knife in the second floor hallway of the building.
Upon arrival police called for additional police officers and a negotiator. A clinician with mental health expertise arrived on scene before the shooting but did not enter the building due to safety concerns since the man was armed with a knife.
Additional Newton Police officers arrived on scene as well as two Massachusetts State Police troopers.
Mr. Conlon allegedly fled to the third floor, followed by police. There are two apartments on the third floor. A woman who resides on that floor of the building fled her apartment, allowing officers to enter her home creating distance from Mr. Conlon, who was in the hallway. Officers on scene spoke with Mr. Conlon, responding to his requests, offering to contact his family and requesting that he drop the knife. Mr. Conlon became confrontational with police, arming himself with a metal fire extinguisher in addition to the knife.
The preliminary investigation suggests that after Mr. Conlon refused to comply with verbal commands to drop the knife, Newton Police attempted to deploy less than lethal force. A Massachusetts State Police Trooper also deployed a Taser that failed to subdue him. Mr. Conlon allegedly advanced on officers while still holding the knife in a threatening manner. Two Newton Police officers fired their service weapons striking the man. Based on radio transmissions from Newton Police, the shots were fired at approximately 2:11 p.m.
The man was transported to Newton Wellesley Hospital where he was later pronounced dead.
Newton Police Officers involved in the altercation have been placed on temporary paid administrative leave.
This remains an active and ongoing investigation. The cause and manner of death are pending a ruling by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
Yesterday’s press release on this matter can be viewed here.
I’m amazed at how calm Linda was during the recording with the dispatcher. It sounded like she did an incredible job keeping a situation from escalating.
The order of events described indicate that law enforcement initiated the use of force, and that Mr. Conlon advanced toward them *afterward*. This is significant and needs further clarification.
What we do not know, is what actually happened inside the apartment building. If the subject was breezily discussing with the police officers what the Patriots should do this offseason – despite holding a knife – use force is not warranted.
But if the behavior was consistent with the 911 call; unstable and at times threatening, to both the subject and others, then action must be taken to de-escalate that threat.
Google “use of force when not drop weapon”, and you will find a sadly large number of cases where bullets were the first resort, not last. In this case, NPD started with bean bags then the taser – not bullets. I’m nearly 6ft, 170 lbs and in pretty good shape. Rage or not, you will find me in a puddle on the ground after being shot at close range with bean bags deployed from a shotgun, then tasered. Again, NPD did not fire bullets as a first resort!
What happened next, is what I assume will be the main focus of the investigation. We do not know the physical make up of the subject, but to brush off being fired upon by bean bangs and a taser, one can assume this man was no wall flower and the report does say the subject advanced on the officers. Did the police fire in self defense? Does an office have the right to preserve their own safety while preserving the safety of others? Or should they stand there to be attacked if not stabbed by someone with enough of a physical presence and adrenaline to brush off bean bags and a taser?
What I do know is this…for Defund NPD to form a protest on NPD headquarters, with the facts currently presented, was rash, indulgent, self-promoting and irresponsible. Instead of a peaceful VIGIL to pay respects to the deceased, and bring attention to the need for more mental health care, they chose a protest to incite controversy and chaos. And to continue the protest, while the rest of this nation and the world watches the travesty in Washington DC shows the lack of maturity at Defund NPD. All passion and no common sense.
Lastly, it was disappointing to see Ms. Ranalli Tweet her support for Defund NPD protest and attempt to rally others to join at NPD headquarters. While I applaud her passion for public service, and courage to run for office, there is a lot to be said for the wisdom of life experience. I will be supporting John Oliver for City Council come March. If there was even a shred of doubt in my mind, this confirms my vote.
Matt YOU are spot on !
Well said, Matt!!
What a sad day for Newton: to fatally shoot a mentally ill man who had retreated to his own apartment, where there were no other people. According to the Patch report (https://patch.com/massachusetts/newton/man-identified-fatal-officer-involved-shooting-newton), Conlon took threatening steps toward police AFTER they tasered him. since when is tasering de-escalation? Patch reports that the police-affiliated social worker would not enter the building: did the tasering occur before the arrival of the social worker? Why couldn’t the police wait outside the apartment until a crisis-trained social worker, Conlon’s family, or Conlon’s doctor could be present?
Many of us have family members with mental health issues. This event makes it clear that in event of a mental health emergency in Newton do NOT call the police.
The mayor needs to put the officers on leave and institute a full investigation with serious consideration about bringing charges against the officers.
And the mayor and the city council need to move funds from the police dept that have been used for militarized equipment and invest the monies in having sufficient numbers of mental health workers with crisis experience on call 24/7. When I had a conversation with the city’s sole police-affiliated social worker a few years ago, in the hopes of averting such an outcome with my relative, I learned that there was only ONE such social worker and she was only available between 8 am and 3 pm. Not helpful.
Mr. Conlon’s death at the hands of the Newton police tragically demonstrates that Newton’s current policing system needs dramatic changes. It happens here.
So I assume The Patch was on scene….because clearly what they are reporting MUST be factual. (Snark implied and intended)
Agree with everyone else, Matt you are (again) spot on.
Newton Upper Falls Resident:
“Why couldn’t the police wait outside the apartment until a crisis-trained social worker, Conlon’s family, or Conlon’s doctor could be present?”
…because he could have gone inside to kill himself and then the police would have been blamed for allowing it to happen. We also don’t know the “facts” as the reporter was not present in the room
Newton Upper Falls Resident:
one last thing: If you are offended by the police having a gun, then you are welcome to call 911 and insist the officer NOT carry a gun OR ask for a mental health specialist…. if you ever find yourself threatened by someone with a knife
Its very easy to second guess the police from the comfort of your keyboard. Its life or death for those brave enough to volunteer to work to protect us
Matt. You published a 10 strike. For God’s sake, let’s have all the facts presented honestly and in order before rendering a judgment. I’ve been incensed at the many instances where police misbehavior has been swept under the rug, but it does nobody any good to base what happened in the Highlands on the travesty in Kenosha, Minneapolis or anywhere else for that matter. This is a separate and distinct incident and should be treated that way.
Completely agree with Matt. Let the investigation happen before you jump to any conclusions. Hearing the 911 call it sounds like the owner of Indulge, Linda was in fear, The man killed mentioned having an issue with another tenant who he said was upstairs. It is possible that the Police followed him into his apt building because of that other person potentially being there or to make sure no one else was in the building. So many things could have happened within the building. We don’t know for sure so we need to let the investigation take its course.
Agree that a full investigation is warranted before jumping to conclusions about this unfortunate situation. If there’s one thing that the progressive community should realize, “defund the police” is a dead end.
Matt thank you for your post -wait for the investigation before jumping to conclusions.
Bugek: The problematic logic of your stated response is that it’s okay for the police to have killed Mr. Conlon so they can’t be accused of having allowed him to kill himself.
NH Mom: I agree that the original caller had good reason to call the police. I never questioned that. However, this event and the city’s to-date lax response mean that no one who is primarily concerned about the safety of a mentally ill person in crisis can call 911 with confidence. I certainly won’t do it again less there are substantial police reforms, and I speak as someone who has been faced with that choice on more than one occasion. Nor am I the only one to draw this conclusion. This evidence-based lack of confidence reduces safety in our community.
We definitely need a full investigation. And the bravery and positive service of many Newton police officers should in no way prevent critical examination of these events. The events of this past year and many years of research show that assuming an officer must be right, as many on this thread do, perpetuates bias–in this case, again those with mental illness.
I have not heard the report myself, but a family member tells me that NPR reported the officer who killed Mr. Conlon has multiple grievances for violence, including smashing someone’s head into a car hood who had been pulled over for a speeding citation. Part of the city’s response should be public disclosure of whether the officer has had grievances filed against him.
Regardless of whether there are such grievances, the officer should NOT be in contact with members of the public until and unless the investigation is resolved.
Newton Upper Falls Resident….That’s enough out of you. I understand you have a right to express your opinion on this platform and we can discuss what could have, should have, might have happened. It’s easy to Monday Morning Quarterback someone who was put in a life or death situation from behind your computer screen or phone isn’t it? My issue is your comment about discipline history for the Officer involved. You “have not heard the report yourself” (so it’s not first hand concrete knowledge) from a friend of a friend of a friends cousins sisters friend from the lake that the Officer has a grievance history that you can not verify. I also enjoyed how you followed that up with “Regardless of whether there are such grievances” to try and cover yourself from liability if that isn’t true. You’re basically saying “Yah there might not be grievances like that against the Officer but it’s fine I’ll just throw it at the wall and see if it sticks because hey why not, fits my narrative!” Your baseless statement to vilify this Officer is irresponsible and slanderous. I also find it convenient that you hide behind a generic user name on this platform so no one knows who you really are and you can’t be held accountable for making such scurrilous statements. It’s cowardice. Shame on you.
@Newton Upper Falls Resident. Kindly share the link to the story you are referring to. After attempting to find this information on the officer involved, I could only find this from an article yesterday:
“Ryan said the Newton officers, who have not been named, were placed on temporary paid administrative leave, as is standard during police-involved shooting investigations.”
@NUFR….shame on you.
“I have not heard the report myself, but a family member tells me that NPR reported the officer who killed Mr. Conlon has multiple grievances for violence…”
This kind of rumor spreading serves no purpose. You are shamefully spreading unverified and harmful information for no reason other than to inflame. Sounds sadly like something else we’ve heard this week…and for the past 4 years. Grow up and come back when you can speak intelligently and factually about an incident.
As so many others have said, let’s let the investigation work.
Justin Traxler: I will ask my family member and try to track down the story.
TheWholeTruth: Your response is rude and out of bounds beyond the snarky sarcasm used in your previous comment. This is a serious topic where people disagree, and I have been both respectful and honest. I made it clear that this was a report given to me by someone I trust but not one I had heard myself. Your comments are offensive and divisive, and if you cannot contribute in a civil manner, without disparaging those who disagree with you, then I will request that you be banned from this site by the moderators.
If you can’t cite the source and have evidence that the Officer does indeed have that incident in his discipline history then your comment should be removed by the admin. That’s defamation and slander. Very dangerous road to walk down but I guess it doesn’t matter because you can hide your identity and hide behind your keyboard. Your behavior offends me.
I will apologize for my “grow up” comment. I stand by the rest. I will wait for the investigation to be completed before making any judgements or speculations. If the moderators chose to remove me, so be it.
Hey Newton Upper Falls – pot, meet kettle. Talk about not contributing in a civil manner. Dropping something like that in a public forum with no source is neither respectful or honest. Period. The officers are already on leave and an investigation is happening, so maybe wait for information from the DA instead of drawing conclusions from what you read on Patch. This was a horrible event for everyone involved, and a young man is dead – your conjecture and rumors don’t help.
Justin Traxler: I have contacted a news producer at WGBH to help identify the story heard on air that I cannot find online. I will post when I have further information.
Daniel O’Brien & Tricia: The story was broadcast on NPR, so mention of it is not conjecture and mention of it in a community forum is entirely warranted. You call for my silence but not for that of Matt Lai and others who explicitly make conjectures about what happened. Their conjecture is apparently acceptable to you, but you accuse me of being uncivil, which suggests that you conflate civility with agreement. Your comments demonstrate a double standard that exactly illustrate my point that assuming that police officers are always right perpetuates bias.
I see it as a civic duty to speak up for a complete investigation that does not assume the officers involved were necessarily correct because district attorneys and mayors are influenced by their constituents and because throughout this country, even in cases where officers’ actions are clearly inexcusable, officers are rarely held accountable. It is crucial to let Mayor Fuller and DA Ryan know that many of us want the truth and accountability.
I think everyone wants a complete investigation. The point is, making assumptions and laying out speculation does no service to anyone…the gentleman who died or the Officers who responded to this incident. Let the work of the investigation play out..please.
Upper Falls…..ZzZzZzZ. Don’t point the finger at anyone else, take responsibility for your own actions. You anonymous posted an unverified report of the Officers discipline history and now you’re playing the victim. No one here is saying there should not be a complete and thorough investigation. Maybe, just maybe, be accountable for the misinformation you posted that you can’t verify? Or does that not fit with your obvious attempts to vilify the Officer involved? It’s my civic duty to point these things out….let the investigation play out.
@NUFR, the reason people are not calling out Matt is that he has taken the information released by the DA and posed unanswered questions. He is looking at the pieces of the puzzle and trying to see where they fit. He is not writing information as fact, he is simply stating there there is so much unknown and that the investigation will hopefully answer the questions and fit the puzzle. What you did was reference an article from The Patch that is lacking in factual information. The Patch was not there.
And then you referenced a suggestion that an officer involved in this case had previously had
“multiple grievances for violence, including smashing someone’s head into a car hood who had been pulled over for a speeding citation.” This may or may not be true but in fairness to the investigation, reporting second or third hand accusations is not reporting fact. This is what is disturbing to me and I suspect others who have challenged you on the information you have presented. I don’t believe that you intentionally want to hurt these Officers but the fact is that when people put unverified information out there, it does not answer any questions, it just muddies the already muddy water. I, like everyone else, hopes that there is a thorough and fair investigation into what happened last Tuesday. This is a tragedy for the suspect/victim AND for the Officers and their families. I am not equating the two by any means. Tragedy takes many forms. We all have questions…and we will eventually get answers. And I suspect that no matter what those answers are, people will not be satisfied. So I’m sorry if you feel attacked and that was certainly not my intent. But I also hope that you will take a step back and be more careful about how you frame your comments. Ask questions, seek answers. Please don’t speculate. Thank you
No. You have provided zero context for or evidence of this being “reported” on NPR other than “a family member tells me…”. You seem 100% confident that your info is correct, but what if your family member misheard something? How can it be that information that has not yet been released publicly (names and records of officers involved) was reported on a major local news outlet, but not picked up and reported by any others? And what if the tables were turned? How often have we seen these kind of vague comments made about the actions, history, or backgrounds of the civilians involved in these types of police encounters, before the investigations are complete? I would be equally critical – in fact more so – and I hope you would be too.
Glad to see many feel that more information is needed before vilifying one side or the other.
The past weeks have shown many that think in very simple ways. We’ve all heard the Trump supporters. In the NewtonTab today there is a report about the dueling protests post the police involved death. From the article …. Defund NPD supporters began chanting ‘All cops are bastards’ among other phrases (see end of article) …
Really? We should expect more from our own neighbors, even those on your side. This kind of myopic hate filled language does not good when it comes to bettering our communities.
(Both ‘sides’ have this issue.)
This account in the Boston Globe is inconsistent with the DA’s statement above. The statement above does not indicate that Conlon advanced on the officers prior to Newton PD use of force. In fact, the statement above indicates that Mr. Conlon advanced on officers only AFTER the use of force was initiated. Yet the Globe article attributes the statement below to DA Ryan:
“Conlon refused, grabbed a fire extinguisher, and advanced on officers while holding the knife in a threatening manner, Ryan said. Two Newton officers shot Conlon after efforts to subdue him with a beanbag shotgun and Taser failed.”
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/01/14/metro/newton-police-shooting-prompts-calls-crisis-intervention-mental-health-resources/
Nathan,
Stop with the Quarterbacking AND WAIT FOR THE INVESTIGATION to be completed. And this includes you the rest of you “KNOW IT ALLS”.
Nathan,
Stop with the Quarterbacking AND WAIT FOR THE INVESTIGATION to be completed. And this includes the rest of you “KNOW IT ALLS”
These are statements attributed to DA Marian Ryan. Maybe DA Ryan shouldn’t quarterback with conflicting or premature statements, if that’s what they are.