Overview
- A Suffolk County grand jury indicted Boston police Officer Nicholas O’Malley on a voluntary manslaughter charge on May 20 in the March shooting death of Stephenson King Jr.
- Suffolk DA Kevin Hayden held a closed-door meeting with about 50 city and community leaders to explain the legal case and the decision not to release the body-worn camera video to the public.
- Hayden’s office told attendees the bodycam footage does not support O’Malley’s claim that he fired to protect another officer, and prosecutors have shown the video to King’s family but not to the public.
- O’Malley is awaiting arraignment at Suffolk Superior Court and his defense attorney warned that public comments from prosecutors could prejudice potential jurors.
- Attendees described the meeting as productive and pushed for a written, codified policy on when and how police body-camera footage is released, a change that could affect transparency and future prosecutions.