DA: Braintree Police Justified In Fatally Shooting Man Who Killed K-9, Wounded Officers

BRAINTREE, MA — Braintree police were justified in the fatal shooting of a man who wounded two officers and killed a police K-9 during an ambush in June, District Attorney Michael Morrissey ruled Wednesday.

Around 12:45 p.m., June 4, police received a 911 call from a woman living at Braintree Village. She told dispatchers Andrew Homen, 34, repeatedly physically and verbally assaulted her over a 24-hour period. Homen also held a gun to the victim's forehead, according to the Norfolk County District Attorney's office.

"Homen was involved in a series of violent crimes and presented an immediate threat to the officers or others, including the children in the East Middle School," Morrissey said in his ruling. "I also find that Homen fled, was armed, and was actively resisting arrest, failed to follow instructions to disarm himself or show his hands when requested to, was attempting to evade arrest by flight into the adjacent wooded area, and discharged his weapon at the police and K-9 Kitt."

When Homen realized the victim called 911, he ran away into the woods, armed with a semi-automatic handgun and a revolver, Morrissey said.

Police then set up a search perimeter around the woods and placed the nearby East Middle School on lockdown. Braintree Police Officer William Cushing and his K-9 partner Kitt arrived at the scene and searched the woods for Homen, alongside officers Richard Siebert and Matthew Donoghue, officials said.

Around 1:30 p.m., Kitt signaled he was getting close to Homen, and then Cushing found someone hidden behind a rock. Cushing yelled, "Show me your hands."

Kitt continued advancing towards Homen, and that's when Homen fired three round in what the district attorney's office called an ambush. Authorities said Homen fatally shot Kitt and then wounded Cushing and Donoghue. The officers shot back, taking down Homen, the district attorney's office said.

Seibert, who had battlefield first aid experience in the military, provided immediate first aid to save his fellow officers' lives. Additional officers assisted Cushing and Donoghue while they awaited ambulances.

Authorities said Home was taken out of the woods and brought to South Shore Hospital by ambulance. He was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Morrissey wrote in his ruling that the use of force by the three Braintree officers was "objectively reasonable and justified." Morrissey said the district attorney's office will take no further action regarding the officers involved.