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Retired Gloucester Fire Lieutenant Dies Days After Lowell Police Cruiser Strikes Him Near UMass Lowell

Investigators are examining the Feb. 5 collision, with key details and any accountability decisions still unresolved.

Overview

  • Officials identified the pedestrian as Daniel Kennedy, 60, a retired Gloucester fire lieutenant and Desert Storm Marine who had returned to UMass Lowell to help veterans with mental health.
  • The marked cruiser struck Kennedy around 6:23 p.m. on Feb. 5 on Wilder Street by South Campus while both were traveling north; he died at Lahey Hospital on Feb. 11.
  • The officer driving was treated for minor injuries at Lowell General Hospital, and authorities have not released the officer’s name.
  • The Middlesex District Attorney’s Office and Massachusetts State Police crash and crime‑scene units are conducting an active investigation, and no charges have been announced.
  • Investigators have not said whether lights or sirens were used or if the officer was responding to a call, as witnesses recalled a violent impact in an area without a crosswalk and the campus offered counseling to those who saw the crash.