Boston Police Officer shot while responding to robbery remains in stable condition on Saturday

Boston police accused a 23-year-old Brockton man of shooting a Boston police officer multiple times Friday night in what the city’s police commissioner described as a situation where law enforcement “honored the sanctity of life” by not firing their weapons in return.

Police identified the accused shooter as John Lazare, 23, of Brockton, who law enforcement said was already suspected of robbing a pizza delivery driver earlier in the week and had multiple warrants for his arrest out of Salem and Quincy.

Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden said Lazare is scheduled to be arraigned at Roxbury District Court on Monday morning “on a number of firearm-related charges,” assault with a dangerous weapon, and assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon.

The officer, who police declined to name, remained in stable condition Saturday after he sustained multiple gunshot wounds while responding to the Friday night robbery in Roxbury. Cox previously said the officer worked in Roxbury’s B-2 District and was also an employee of the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office.

Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox said the injured officer “did everything he could to honor the sanctity of life and make sure that this person was also captured.”

“So often you hear throughout the country around police in our over-response or over-aggressive behavior,” Cox said at police headquarters. “And I’m just here to say that our officers are different, our officers are professional, and we take pride in that, and I take pride in them.”

A police report said officers spoke to a delivery driver on Wednesday, who said he took an order of two pizzas to 44 Cedric Street, a warehouse in Roxbury, where he was robbed at gunpoint by a male wearing a black hoodie, face mask, and pajama pants when he arrived at the address.

Police said the officer who was shot was in the area on Friday night when he observed a male matching the description of the person who robbed the delivery driver earlier in the week pointing a gun at someone.

“As Officer [redacted] began to approach, the suspect, later identified as John Lazare, fired shots at Officer [redacted] and began running into the main entrance of 44 Cedric Street,” the police report said. “During this time Officer [redacted] announced to channel three operations that shots were fired and advised that he had been hit multiple times, once specifically stating to the foot and back.”

A “multitude of officers” responded, the police report said. The injured officer had their firearm out while Lazare ran upstairs into 44 Cedric Street, “with his silhouette being seen as he ran by the windows of the second-floor warehouse,” according to the police report.

As police officers started to search for Lazare, the injured officer was taken to Boston Medical Center for “non-life threatening gunshot wounds,” the police report said.

Police then started clearing the warehouse at 44 Cedric Street, where they opened a fire escape door on the third floor of the building to see Lazare “on a rooftop to the left of the building,” according to the police report.

“Officers [redacted] and Officer [redacted] gave chase rapidly, closing the distance on the suspect,” the police report said. “The suspect then jumped from the roof of the building, landing in a nearby alleway, injuring his leg.”

A state trooper held Lazare at “rifle-point” before he was placed into custody, the police report said.

“Please note that in the alleyway where the suspect was found, in the immediate area of the suspect was Dominos icing cups, loose denominations of US currency, a receipt from Dominos, and one cellphone,” the police report said.

A spokesperson for Dominos did not immediately respond to a request for comment Saturday afternoon.

Lazare was taken to Beth Israel Hospital, where doctors evaluated his “self-inflicted leg wound,” the police report said. A Boston police spokesman did not say whether Lazare was still in the hospital, and only confirmed that he was in police custody.

Lazare, according to the police report, had a warrant issued for his arrest out of Salem in January 2020 for receiving stolen property, unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, and negligent operation of a motor vehicle.

Another warrant was issued for Lazare’s arrest in June 2022 out of Quincy for multiple counts of identity fraud and larceny over $1,200, according to the police report.

Mayor Michelle Wu said Friday night that she is “just so relieved and grateful to know that the office is safe.”

Police officers face dangers every day and every night when they show up to work, said Massachusetts State Police Colonel John Mawn.

Policing is a dangerous job, Mawn said, and through May 31, 166 officers have been shot in the line of duty across the United States, 20 of them fatally. In the first week of June, three officers were killed by gunfire, Mawn said.

“We must acknowledge, also, that no officer or trooper assumes these risks in a vacuum,” he said. “As a law enforcement officer leaves his or her home each day to confront the unexpected, the worries and concerns — as well as the dedication and resolve — of those who love them go with them.”