Braintree Police Still Dealing With Aftermath Of Motel 6 Shooting

BRAINTREE, MA — It’s been two months since an officer was shot at the Braintree Motel 6 and the police department is dealing with the effects of the warrant arrest that took a violent turn.

During Thursday’s board of health hearing that resulted in the motel losing their license to operate, Police Chief Paul Shastany said his officers are going through a living hell because of the incident. The officers at the scene remain on leave as they attempt to recover.

“I’m dealing with the aftermath of this incident. I’m telling you it’s the most troubling of my career.
Trying to deal with this incident has created such a hardship on this organization,” Shastany said.

On the evening of May 5, officers responded to the motel to serve a warrant to a guest. When police attempted to enter the room, officer Donald Delaney was shot in the head and taken to Boston Medical Center for treatment. Hours later, the gunman later shot himself. Delaney is still recovering from the incident.

Motel 6 officials said they would be willing to add new security measures including more lighting, fencing around the property, and keypass-only access to guest parking. The improvements would not be enough, Shastany said.

“The Braintree Police Department and Motel 6 at this point cannot insure the safety of its citizens nor my officers. Not the way this business model is operating. I don’t have the luxury to increase my police presence,” Shastany said. “I’m not willing to sacrifice the nobility of my officers to a less than noble cause.”

Per town law, Motel 6 may operate for five days to facilitate their closure and wind down of operations. Their five-day period ends Tuesday.

Image Credit: Dan Libon