D.A. Says Weymouth Police Shooting of Paul Campbell Justified

An investigation into the shooting of Paul Campbell by Weymouth police during the early hours of Jan. 19 has determined that the police’s actions were justified.

Norfolk District Attorney Michael Morrissey announced Tuesday that he has completed his investigation and review into the fatal shooting. The investigation revealed and developed sufficnt evidence to conclude that the officers, both of whom discharged their weapons, were justified in doing so as a matter of law and self-defense.

In January, police responded to a 911 call shortly after 1 a.m. When officers arrived at Campbell’s home, he was found outside with knives on him. The body of his mother, Patricia Campbell, was found on the steps of the home with multiple knife wounds.

“There is evidence to conclude that Paul Campbell kicked in his mother’s bedroom door and proceeded to murder her with a knife, and that there was an elapse of time between when the murder occurred and when he made the initial 911 call requesting police presence,” District Attorney Morrissey said.

Morrissey added that it was reasonable to conclude that Campbell may have been lying-in-wait with the intention of confronting Weymouth Police with deadly force when they arrived at the scene,

Following the shooting, officers rendered immediate medical assistance and called emergency medical personnel, who were staged a short distance away, in an attempt to save Paul Campbell’s life.

“We recognize the enormity of this tragedy for the Campbell family, and I extend my personal condolences to that family,” District Attorney Morrissey said. “As a matter of law, these officers defended themselves against the clear threat of death.”

The investigation was conducted over a period of 15 weeks and featured the production and review of numerous pages of police reports, interviews with involved police officers and neighbors who heard or saw some part of the event, review of multiple recorded calls between Paul Campbell and a Weymouth police dispatcher, the autopsy of Paul Campbell and his mother, and Massachusetts State Police ballistics report, crime scene report, and crime scene services photographs and diagrams of the area.