Eurie Stamps Death Investigation Under Review: Middlesex DA

FRAMINGHAM, MA — Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan's office is reviewing the previous inquiry into the 2011 death of Eurie Stamps, who was shot and killed by a Framingham officer during a SWAT raid.

The review comes as activists in Framingham and Cambridge — where Stamps once lived — have asked officials to reopen the death investigation after other high-profile police killings this summer. The group #JusticeForEurie held a vigil for Stamps outside the Framingham Memorial Building on Saturday.

Former Middlesex DA Gerard Leone, who left office in 2013, investigated Stamps' death in 2011, but determined Framingham officer Paul Duncan accidentally shot Stamps.

"We recognize how important it is that the public has confidence in these types of investigations, which is why we are in the process of gathering and reviewing the documents relative to the investigation which was conducted by the previous administration into the death of Mr. Stamps.," Ryan said in a statement Wednesday. "As we move forward, we are committed to transparency and will be making those documents publicly available consistent with our current policy on officer involved shootings."

Stamps, 68, died in January 2011 when the SWAT team raided his home looking for Stamps' stepson in connection to a drug investigation. Stamps, a retired MBTA employee and grandfather, was watching a Celtics game when police burst into his home. Police ordered him onto the ground, and Stamps was lying on his stomach when Duncan apparently tripped and fired his rifle.

During a Tuesday City Council meeting, Framingham Democratic Committee Chair Michael Hugo — who knew Stamps — said state Attorney General Maura Healey had been in touch with Ryan's office about the review.

In a statement Wednesday, Healey did not say if her office is directly involved in the review, but does support it.

"Eurie Stamps died under tragic and devastating circumstances and my heart goes out to his loved ones," the statement said. "Currently, Middlesex District Attorney Ryan is reviewing this case and I have confidence in her office’s ability to do so. I know that she shares the same commitment to transparency and accountability that I do."

One of the three main demands of the #JusticeForEurie is a reopening of the inquiry. Activists also want a proper memorial for Stamps — and for Duncan to be fired.

Also on Tuesday, the Framingham City Council passed a resolution declaring August Black Lives Matter month in the city. Councilors also discussed a forthcoming resolution honoring Stamps, and formally asking for an inquiry into his death.

"It needs to happen in a formal way," District 8 Councilor John Stefanini said.