Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Boston Officer Charged With Voluntary Manslaughter in Roxbury Shooting Pleads Not Guilty

Prosecutors cite body‑camera review in alleging the shooting violated Massachusetts limits on firing at moving vehicles.

Overview

  • Suffolk County prosecutors say body‑worn video and witness accounts indicate neither officer faced imminent harm when Nicholas O’Malley opened fire.
  • Investigators report O’Malley fired three shots through the driver’s window; an autopsy found Stephenson King was struck three times and no weapon was recovered.
  • O’Malley was arraigned in Roxbury District Court, entered a not‑guilty plea, was released on personal recognizance with an order to surrender firearms, and is due back in May as the case goes to a grand jury.
  • District Attorney Kevin Hayden says the body‑camera footage will not be released publicly to avoid jeopardizing the prosecution, despite calls from some city leaders for transparency.
  • The state POST commission has suspended O’Malley’s police certification pending the case, while the patrolmen’s union and many officers publicly back his claim that he acted to protect his partner.