A person with a knife was shot in Malden by a Massachusetts State Police trooper Thursday after police were called to a nearby Stop & Shop in Revere about about erratic behavior, officials said.
The person who was shot is in stable condition at Massachusetts General Hospital and the officer who shot him, along with a Malden police officer also involved in the incident, weren't hurt, according to state police Col. Christopher Mason.
The person who was shot hadn't complied with orders from both officers to drop the knife and was arrested on a charge of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, Mason said. A knife was recovered at the scene.
According to Mason, police were first called to the Stop & Shop about a person showing erratic behavior. But the person left the supermarket when asked and walked down the street into Malden, where the on-duty Massachusetts State Police trooper encountered him and began interacting with him.
Witnesses said the person had a knife and continued walking down Beach Street, Mason said. The person ignored repeated orders to drop the knife from the trooper, who was joined by a police officer from Malden.
The person, who has not been identified and whose age wasn't given, continued walking toward Oliver Street, where police tried unsuccessfully to disarm him. At some point after that, Mason said, the trooper shot the person.
While he remained combative after the shooting, the officers were able to take the person into custody, Mason said.
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He didn't say at a news conference what exactly led to the shooting, beyond that "what prompted the officers to shoot was the use of the knife by the defendant."
Mental health is likely to be part of the investigation, which remains ongoing, according to Mason. He said he's seen witness video of the incident.
