Police Officer Shot in Face, Suspect Found Dead in Braintree, Massachusetts

A man who authorities say barricaded himself in a Massachusetts motel room after shooting a veteran police officer in the face, was found dead early Saturday morning.

Braintree Police Chief Paul Shastany said officers responded to the Motel 6 at 125 Union St. around 9:30 p.m. to check on the warrant status of an individual.

The individual opened fire on the officers, hitting the officer in the face.

The front desk clerk at the Motel 6 said there was a large police presence at the motel on Friday night and police initially told the guests to stay in their rooms and the front desk clerk was told to remain in the office.

The suspect remained barricaded inside the hotel until about 1 a.m., when Shastany said officers entered the room and found the suspect dead. No further details were available.

Shastany said the officer who was shot had been taken to Massachusetts General Hospital and underwent surgery. The officer's injuries are not believed to be life threatening. He was said to be alert and talking to paramedics when he left the scene.

The officer's name has not been released.

"He's a very good officer," Braintree Mayor Joseph Sullivan said. "We understand now his injuries are not life threatening, and so we will continue to monitor this situation."

Sullivan said there have been issues with this motel in the past.

"We're frustrated," he said. "There has been some history of the site, and working with them. We had taken a series of steps to upgrade the facility, but t his is obviously a step backward and we need to do something more significant and more positive as we move forward."

Numerous area departments responded to the scene on Friday night, including a regional SWAT team.

The MBTA suspended its Red Line service in and out of Braintree Station in the wake of the shooting. For now, all Braintree trains will terminate at Quincy Adams. The Kingston/Plymouth and Middleborough/Lakeville commuter trains are also holding at Quincy Center due to the police activity.