A man in a mental health crisis who police say charged at officers with a knife was shot by Boston police in Brighton on Friday morning, October 30, 2026, and later died, Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox said. Officers had spent about 20 minutes trying to de-escalate before the shooting, Cox said, according to NBC10 Boston, WCVB and 7News. The man’s name has not been released.
Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden’s office is leading the investigation. No findings have been made about whether the shooting was justified.
What officials said happened
- The call. Officers were sent to Selkirk Road, near Cleveland Circle, just before 7 a.m. for a report of a man armed with a knife threatening to harm himself, WCVB reported. Officers were told before they arrived that he was having a mental health crisis, Cox said.
- EMS on standby. Emergency medical services were staged outside the home, 7News reported.
- About 20 minutes. Officers engaged the man for nearly 20 minutes trying to de-escalate, Cox said. The man then “charged the officers, threatening to harm them,” Cox said, according to WCVB.
- One shot. “As the suspect chased the officer, (the suspect) was struck one time in the stomach area by the officers looking to, certainly, stop the threat,” Cox said, according to WCVB.
- Aftermath. Officers gave first aid, and the man was taken to a hospital, where he died, WCVB reported. Two officers involved were taken to a hospital to be evaluated, according to NBC10 and WCVB.
The investigation
Hayden said his office will lead the investigation “as always in these circumstances involving the discharge of a firearm by a police officer,” together with the Boston Police Department and its Firearm Discharge Integrity Team, WCVB reported. Officers at the scene were wearing body cameras, and the video will be reviewed, Hayden said. “These situations are always fluid, they’re never easy,” he said, according to NBC10.
The Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association commended the officers for attempting to de-escalate “an incredibly dangerous and highly hostile situation that ultimately resulted in an officer having to discharge his firearm,” NBC10 reported.
The account above is the department’s. It has not been tested by the district attorney’s review, and investigators have not released the body camera video.
The law: when Massachusetts police may use deadly force
The 2020 police reform law set a statewide standard in G.L. c. 6E, § 14, which we read at malegislature.gov. Subsection (b) says:
“A law enforcement officer shall not use deadly force upon a person unless de-escalation tactics have been attempted and failed or are not feasible based on the totality of the circumstances and such force is necessary to prevent imminent harm to a person and the amount of force used is proportionate to the threat of imminent harm.”
- De-escalation first. The statute asks whether de-escalation was attempted and failed, or was not feasible. Officials have said officers tried for about 20 minutes.
- Imminent harm. Deadly force must be necessary “to prevent imminent harm to a person.” That includes an officer.
- Proportionality. The force used must be “proportionate to the threat of imminent harm.”
Whether the shooting met that standard is the question the district attorney’s review will answer. Hayden’s office has not said when it expects to finish. Here is what a district attorney’s finding looked like in a recent Massachusetts police shooting.
Frequently asked questions
What happened in Brighton on October 30, 2026?
Boston police responding to a report of a man with a knife threatening to harm himself on Selkirk Road shot the man once after, police say, he charged and chased an officer. He died at a hospital. Suffolk DA Kevin Hayden’s office is investigating.
Who investigates police shootings in Boston?
The Suffolk County District Attorney’s office leads the investigation whenever a police officer fires a gun, working with the Boston Police Department and its Firearm Discharge Integrity Team, Hayden said.
When can police use deadly force in Massachusetts?
Under G.L. c. 6E, § 14(b), only if de-escalation tactics have been tried and failed or are not feasible, the force is necessary to prevent imminent harm to a person, and the force is proportionate to that threat.
Sources: NBC10 Boston, WCVB and 7News (WHDH), October 30, 2026, reporting on a Boston Police press conference. G.L. c. 6E, § 14 read at malegislature.gov. No findings have been made in the investigation. General information, not legal advice.