Reading Shooting: Officer Kills Assault Suspect

READING, MA — A 43-year-old man wanted in connection to an alleged assault was shot dead by a Reading Police officer late Saturday afternoon, the Middlesex DA's Office said.

The officer was treated for unspecified injuries and released from the hospital.

The man who was killed has not been identified. He had been allegedly evading police over the last two nights.

Subscribe to Reading Patch and stay updated on this and other local news

Police responded at 3:45 p.m. to a Main Street residence for an alleged assault between the man and someone who lived at the house. Police said they were at the house Friday night for a reported altercation involving the man, but he fled that night and police could not find him.

The door Saturday night was dead-bolted from the inside. Police eventually got in, but the man had fled again, with multiple officers searching the area for him.

At about 4:33 p.m., an officer fired multiple shots at the man. The man was pronounced dead at Lahey Hospital.

The shooting reportedly took place near East Coast Gas and Auto Repair, close to the North Reading line.

The shooting is being investigated by the Middlesex DA's Office, State Police assigned to the DA's Office, and Reading Police.

Photo by Bob Holmes, Patch staff