Man With Knife Fatally Shot By Boston Police In Brighton

Two officers involved in the encounter were also taken to a hospital for evaluation.

By Benjamin Pierce, Patch Staff

Oct 30, 2026 2:18 PM EDT | Updated Oct 30, 2026 2:25 PM EDT

Authorities held a press conference Friday afternoon. (Jenna Fisher/Patch)

BOSTON, MA — A man has died after being shot by police Friday morning, according to the Boston Police Department.

Officers responded to the area of Selkirk Road near Cleveland Circle in Brighton at approximately 6:59 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 30, for a report of a man armed with a knife threatening to harm himself. Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox said officers received additional information before arriving that the man was experiencing a mental health crisis.

Officers spent nearly 20 minutes attempting to de-escalate the situation while Boston EMS personnel waited nearby to assist. According to Cox, the man initially held the knife toward himself before turning toward officers and threatening to harm them.

"He charged the officers outside on the porch area," Cox said during a press conference.

Cox said officers attempted to retreat as the man pursued them before an officer fired his weapon, striking the man once in the stomach. Officers immediately administered first aid with assistance from EMS personnel already at the scene.

The man was transported to a local hospital, where he later died. Two officers involved in the encounter were also taken to a hospital for evaluation. Cox said neither officer suffered a serious injury and thanked EMS personnel for their response.

"Their quick response is always helpful both to our officers in general and to the public," Cox said.

Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden said his office will lead the investigation alongside the Boston Police Department and its Firearm Discharge Integrity Team. Hayden responded to the scene with members of his office, including homicide unit chief Mark Lee.

"As always in these circumstances involving the discharge of a firearm by a police officer, we will lead this investigation," Hayden said.

Hayden said officials had reviewed body camera footage as part of their preliminary assessment. He said the information available at the time supported the account Cox presented during the briefing.

"The commissioner just accurately described the facts as we know them at this point," Hayden said.

Investigators will continue reviewing footage and interviewing witnesses to determine the circumstances surrounding the shooting. Asked whether officers had alternatives to using a firearm, Cox said officers at the scene had less-lethal equipment available. He said he did not personally know whether the officer who fired had a Taser.

"That's part of the investigation as well, but most of our officers do have Tasers," Cox said.

Cox also said he believed another person was initially inside the residence and officers brought them outside for their safety. He said he believed the officer who fired was a man who had been with the department for a little more than two years.

The names of the man shot and the officers involved had not been released. The incident remains under investigation.

"These situations are always fluid. They're never easy," Hayden said. "I'm optimistic and prayerful that the gentleman that was struck and the officers that were involved will all recover."