Democratic Boston Mayor Michelle Wu offered her “condolences” to a man who was shot and killed in the city Saturday — after allegedly attempting to stab two people in a restaurant.
Wu, who took office in 2021, spoke at a press conference after the incident and expressed her sympathy for those who knew the attacker.
According to NBC Boston, an unnamed man pulled out a knife Saturday evening and targeted two people at a Chick-fil-A before an off-duty officer shot and killed the man:
Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox said the officer was inside the restaurant on Boylston Street around 5:30 p.m. when two people ran into the restaurant, pursued by a man armed with a knife. Cox said the officer identified himself as police and told the attacker, who was trying to stab those people, to drop the knife. When the man did not, the officer fired his weapon, striking the man.
The man was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. The officer was taken to the hospital as a precaution. No other injuries were reported.
The man has not been publicly identified.
Investigators are still speaking with witnesses to identify what motivated the knife-wielding man.
While police were still assessing the scene, Wu addressed reporters and shared a message for the man killed by the officer.
In comments to the public captured by a WCVB-TV camera, Wu said she was thinking about everyone affected by the incident. But her opening comment was about the alleged attacker.
“My condolences and all of our thoughts are with the family of the individual whose life has been lost,” Wu said. She added:
I’m also thinking of all the people who were impacted here today in one of the busier parts of the city, with this tragedy. I’m glad that the officer is safe and very grateful for a quick response from all of our first responders here. Again, and such an active part of Boston. We know that anything like this that happens, any incident of violence is deeply impactful. And so to anyone who was here also, we’re grateful for those who are already working with the police to share the information that they have or to describe what they saw or might have witnessed.
Watch above via WCVB-TV.
