Name of Beverly Police Officer Involved in Saturday's Fatal Shooting Released

The Essex District Attorney’s Office has released the name of the Beverly police officer involved in Saturday’s police-involved shooting on Balch Street in Beverly.

Beverly Patrol Officer April Clarizia is a 12-year member of the police force.

The Essex District Attorney’s Office is still investigating the shooting to determine if Clarizia lawfully fired her weapon at a motor vehicle driven by Christopher Whitmarsh, 49, of Hamilton.

According to the initial investigation, two Beverly police officers, each in separate cruisers, responded to the rear entrance of the Cummings Center on Balch Street at approximately 3:10 pm on a report of a suicidal male.

When they got there, they saw Whitmarsh, driving a GMC Envoy, ramming into a Toyota Highlander. As police approached in their cruisers, Whitmarsh backed up and rammed into one cruiser and then pulled forward and rammed into the second cruiser, according to the Essex County District Attorney’s office.

Clarizia exited her cruiser and ordered Whitmarsh to stop. When he failed to do so, Clarizia fired a single shot through the driver’s side window, striking Whitmarsh in the left shoulder. Whitmarsh was transported to Beverly Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Essex County District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett assigned Essex Assistant District Attorney Christina Ronan to lead the investigation. The Essex District Attorney’s Office will release the findings of its investigation upon completion.

“When a police officer uses lethal force, the public should necessarily expect a thorough and transparent investigation,” Blodgett said. “When our investigation is finished, a complete report will be released to the public, after we have shared it with Mr. Whitmarsh’s family.