Man Killed Following Stabbing Identified

The man killed following two stabbings at the Salter School on Tuesday has been identified.

Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan says the suspect who was shot by police is identified as Doug Sparks, 30, of Medford.

The shooting is currently under investigation.

At approximately 9 a.m. Tuesday morning, the Tewksbury Police Department received 911 calls about the possible stabbing of two individuals at the Salter School, 515 Woburn St. Officers responding to the call saw a man matching the description of the stabbing suspect in the area of 55 Forest Ave. Ryan said when officers approached the suspect, they saw the Sparks holding a handgun. Sparks refused to comply with the officers’ orders and shots were fired by the officers. He was transported to Saints Memorial Hospital in Lowell where he was pronounced dead.

Officers learned that two individuals, a male and a female, employed by the school, arrived for work in one vehicle. As they were parking, they were approached by the suspect in the parking lot and an argument ensued.

During the altercation, the two school employees were stabbed in the arms and hands, the tires on the victim’s vehicle were slashed with a knife, and a car window on the suspect’s vehicle was broken. The female victim was dragged by the suspect in his vehicle to another part of the parking lot as the incident continued. The stabbing suspect left the scene on foot. The individuals who were stabbed do not have life-threatening injuries.

A preliminary investigation indicates the individuals involved were known to each other and that the female victim had had a prior dating relationship with Sparks.

“This frightening incident appears to be another example of a person violently confronting someone at their workplace about a personal domestic situation,” District Attorney Ryan said.

Tewksbury Police Chief Timothy Sheehan has reassured the public that this was not a random act of violence, and there is no continuing danger to local residents.

This incident is being investigated by the Tewksbury Police Department and Massachusetts State Police assigned to the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office.

Related Links:

• Two People Stabbed, Suspect Killed by Police
• UPDATED: Shots Fired, Suspect Dead Following Incident at Salter School