A Southampton man who stabbed an officer responding to a report of a domestic disturbance had told the officer that he wasn’t going to be arrested or handcuffed, moments before he was shot and killed by a second officer in brief chaotic incident early Saturday morning. This was the first time in memory that a suspect has been shot by city police.
Westfield Police Capt. Michael McCabe said today that city police have “never” shot a suspect to his knowledge and Capt. Hipolito Nunez said that neither he nor Chief John Camerota could remember a previous occurrence.
McCabe reports that an Elm Street resident called police shortly after 2 a.m. Saturday and said that her former husband, Douglas Musto, was trying to break down the door to her apartment.
Officers were dispatched and the first officer on the scene found Musto on a landing at the caller’s apartment door. He immediatelyordered the crouching man to show his hands and stand up.
McCabe said that the officer quickly learned that Musto was armed with a knife and, when Musto said he would give up the knife, the officer told him not to touch it but to keep his hands in view and that he would remove it.
The officer told Musto that, although he was not being arrested, he was going to emplace handcuffs for his safety.
Officers routinely handcuff persons who are not arrested, to defuse a situation and ensure for the safety of all parties involved.
However, on that Saturday morning, Musto said that he was not going to be arrested or handcuffed and produced the knife, brandishing it at the officer.
The officer then deployed his Taser and fired it at the man, sending the electrode darts into the man, who fell to the floor.
With the man down, McCabe said, the officer released the trigger of the Taser, which ended the flow of electricity to the embedded darts. McCabe said that officer moved in to take control of the weapon and to handcuff the man but Musto retained his grip on the knife and lunged at the officer, stabbing his leg. The officer found himself in a struggle with Musto for control of the knife.
A second officer, who had also arrived on the landing and was on the other side of the Musto, was shouting at him, repeatedly telling him to drop the knife.
When Musto continued to struggle, the second officer fired his service weapon and stopped the attack.
Musto was killed.
“I have no doubt that the incident occurred exactly as it was reported and the officer involved in the shooting had no choice but to use lethal force in that shooting” McCabe said.
McCabe said that Musto is not a city resident but is believed to be from the greater local area. The Registry of Motor Vehicles reports a Southampton address for him, but McCabe said that he does not know that Musto lives there.
He also said that Musto was not the defendant of a protective order relative to his former wife.
The stabbed officer was transported to Baystate Medical Center, McCabe reports, where he was treated and is expected to recover from his wounds. He has been released.
McCabe said that he will be “convalescing for a couple of weeks and, hoping everything goes well, he’ll be returning to duty.”
The officer who shot Musto was transported to Noble Hospital for routine testing although there are no indications that he was injured.
McCabe said “We gave his the rest of the shift off, obviously” and said that both officer were advised of counseling resources available that specialize in officers involved in a shooting.
He said that the officer asked if he could take some time off and McCabe said that he has been placed on administrative leave.
Many officers, including detectives and several supervisory officers, responded to the incident.
State troopers assigned to the detective unit attached to the Hampden County District Attorney’s office were notified and responded to the scene of the attack.
McCabe said “We gave it (the investigation) to the State Police right at the beginning” both because resources available to them such as ballisticians, and also to avoid any possibility of the appearance of a biased investigation.
Hampden District Attorney Mark G. Mastroianni’s office is investigating.
