Mental Health Crisis

Armed, Armed: Knife, Sword or Blade, Mental Health Crisis

Unknown Male, 26

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Lexington, MA Mason Street April 18, 2026 Unknown Race | Male | 26 Years Old Lexington Police Department / North Eastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council (NEMLC) Mental Health Crisis Armed: Knife An as of yet unidentified Lexington resident was fatally shot by a police officer outside his home on Mason Street around 1:40 p.m. on Saturday 4/18/26 according to the Middlesex County district attorney. Authorities have not named the victim, but said he was a 26-year-old male. The family is asking for privacy to grieve. The man is reported to have injured himself with a large kitchen knife, prompting another person at the house called the local police. LPD officers responded first and officers of the North Eastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council, or NEMLEC, responded next. Status: Unknown Sources The Lexington Observer Boston Globe WCVB Related Cases ArmedArmed: Knife, Sword or BladeMental Health Crisis Lexington MALexington Police DepartmentNEMLEC

Armed, Armed: Knife, Sword or Blade, Mental Health Crisis

Jacob Graves, 29

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Boston, MA 212 Hemenway St. April 4, 2026 White | Male | 29 Years Old Boston Police Mental Health Crisis Armed: Sword Boston police shoot, kill man, now identified as Jacob Graves, 29 of New Hampshire who allegedly stabbed officer with sword near NU campus while experiencing ‘mental health crisis,’ police say. Boston police on Saturday shot and killed a man who stabbed an officer with a sword amid a “mental health crisis” at an apartment building near Northeastern University, officials said. The shooting followed “an extended period of time” estimated at 45 minutes or longer during which police spoke with the man through the door of an apartment at 212 Hemenway St., Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox said at a Saturday afternoon news conference. An emergency medical services clinician was with officers at the apartment building, he said. Earlier, at 10:44 a.m., police believe the same man placed a 911 call during which he reported four people armed with a firearm were “looking to harm him,” Cox said. This is a developing story. Status: Unknown Sources Boston Globe Boston Globe:  Police ID Victim Boston.com The Huntington News NBC 10 Obituary Related Cases ArmedArmed: Knife, Sword or BladeMental Health Crisis Boston MABoston Police Department

Armed, Armed: Knife, Sword or Blade, Mental Health Crisis

Sayed Faisal, 20

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Cambridge,MA Chestnut St. and  Sidney St. March 11, 2026 Bangladeshi | Male | 20 Years Old Cambridge Police Mental Health Crisis Armed: Knife Authorities say a man armed with a knife was killed in a police shooting in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Police say they were called to the area of Chestnut and Sidney streets to investigate the report of the man who appeared to be in distress. During the confrontation, a Cambridge Police officer shot the man, the Middlesex County District Attorney’s Office said. Status: Unknown Sources WCVB 5 NBC Boston Boston Globe The Business Post Related Cases ArmedArmed: Knife, Sword or BladeMental Health Crisis Cambridge MACambridge Police Department

Armed, Armed: Knife, Sword or Blade, Mental Health Crisis

Brendan Reilly, 35

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Lexington, MA Hancock Street February 12, 2022 White | Male | 35 Years Old Lexington Police Department Mental Health Crisis Armed: Knife On February 12, 2022, at around noon, a jogger placed a 911 call reporting that a man was leaning out of the window of a house on Hancock Street screaming that someone was trying to kill him. Police arrived on the scene to find 35 year old Brendan Reilly holding a kitchen knife in the backyard of the house, a group home for people with addiction and mental health issues. According to police, officers repeatedly asked Reilly to drop the knife; when he failed to comply, they began firing bean bags rounds at him. In the commotion, Officer Steven Papia slipped and fell to the ground. Reilly allegedly advanced toward the fallen officer with the knife, and another officer, Joseph Carruthers, shot Reilly four times with his department-issued Glock 17 firearm. Reilly was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead later that afternoon. The family filed a wrongful death suit against the Town of Lexington, the officers involved and the company which managed the group home where Reilly was living at the time. Status: Ruled as Justified by Middlesex DA Sources The Lexington Observer Middlesex DA Inquest Findings | Report WHDH Boston 25 News Boston Herald Fall River Reporter Obituary Related Cases ArmedArmed: Knife, Sword or BladeMental Health Crisis Lexington MALexington Police Department

Armed, Armed: Knife, Sword or Blade, Mental Health Crisis

Thomas Celona, 35

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Winchester, MA Parkview Apartments November 3, 2020 White | Male | 35 Years Old Winchester Police Department Mental Health Crisis Armed: Knife Police shot and killed a knife-wielding man inside a Winchester apartment building on Monday night, police and prosecutors said in a statement. Winchester police responded to the Parkview Apartments just after 8 p.m. after a security guard called 911 to report that a male resident of the building had reported an issue in his unit, Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan and Winchester police Chief Peter MacDonnell said. According to the preliminary investigation, three officers heard noise coming from inside and when they entered saw the man, identified as Thomas Celona, 35, brandishing two knives, according to the statement. Police told him to drop the knives and twice used an electronic stun gun on him without success, according to the statement. Celona, still holding the knives, continued to approach the officers and one officer opened fire, striking the man. He was taken to the hospital where he died.  Status: Ruled Justified Sources WCVB Boston Globe: Ruled Justified WBUR Boston.com NBC Boston WCVB: Family Speaks Out 7 News Boston MassLive  Inquest Report WCVB: De-escalation Patch Boston Globe Related Cases ArmedArmed: Knife, Sword or BladeMental Health Crisis Arlington MAArlington Police Department

Armed, Armed: Gun, Mental Health Crisis

Juston Root, 41

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Boston, MA Brigham and Women’s Hospital February 7, 2020 White | Male | 41 Years Old Boston Police Department, Massachusetts State Police Mental Health Crisis Armed: BB Gun A man killed by police following a confrontation outside Brigham and Women’s Hospital on Friday that also left a hospital employee critically injured had a history of mental illness and a “gentle soul,” his parents said. Police said he was shot and killed after he refused to drop what appeared to be a firearm. Boston Police Superintendent-in-Chief Gregory Long said Friday that officers responded to reports of a man with a gun outside Brigham and Women’s Hospital sometime after 9 a.m. Long said police confronted the man, who pulled out what appeared to be a firearm and refused orders to drop it. Officers opened fire, and at some point, a hospital parking attendant was shot. A hospital spokeswoman told the Globe that the attendant was in good condition on Saturday night. Status: Unknown Sources Boston.com Boston Globe Boston.com WBUR | WBUR | WBUR Related Cases ArmedArmed: GunMental Health Crisis Boston MABoston Police DepartmentMassachusetts State Police

Terrance Coleman
Armed, Armed: Knife, Sword or Blade, Mental Health Crisis

Terrence Coleman, 31

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Boston, MA 245 Shawmut Ave. October 30, 2016 Black | Male | 31 Years Old Boston Police Department Mental Health Crisis Armed: Knife (Disputed) Coleman’s mother said she called for an ambulance to take her son to the hospital after he refused to leave the front porch for two days. Authorities said Coleman was suffering from paranoia and schizophrenia. Officers fatally shot Coleman after he attacked EMTs with a knife, according to the police account. Coleman’s mother says her son was not armed or violent when police shot him. Status: Unknown Sources The Counted Boston Globe Boston Globe CBS Boston WBUR Related Cases ArmedArmed: Knife, Sword or BladeMental Health Crisis Boston MABoston Police Department

Marquis Barker
Armed, Armed: Gun, Mental Health Crisis

Marquis Barker, 38

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Boston, MA Morton St. and Norfolk St. Dorchester November 21, 2007 Black | Male | 38 Years Old Boston Police Department Mental Health Crisis Armed: Pellet Gun 38 yr old Father of five, Suffolk County Jail Officer at Nashua for 18 yrs. was killed Wednesday Novemver 21st, 2007 by Boston Police at Walgreen’s on Corner of Norfolk & Morton St. Barker had worked for the county as a jail officer for 18 years. Barker’s wife called police, describing him as mentally disturbed and irrational. Officers responded, finding him holding an apparent weapon and asking to be shot. He then somehow stole a cruiser and led police on a half-mile pursuit. He was shot and killed. His weapon had been a pellet gun. Status: Ruled Justified Sources WBZ Boston Boston Globe Boston Globe Berkeley Beacon Universal Hub Fatal Encounters Boston Herald WGBH Related Cases ArmedArmed: GunMental Health Crisis Boston MABoston Police Department

Armed, Armed: Knife, Sword or Blade, Mental Health Crisis

Luis Gonzalez, 57

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Boston, MA 626 Tremont St. South End July 2, 2004 Latino | Male | 57 Years Old Boston Police Department Mental Health Crisis Armed: Knife Gonzalez, 57, who weighed no more than 110 pounds, was fatally shot inside the Tremont Street apartment he shared with his mentally disabled sister by two cops as he approached them with a knife. Neighbors said they told police the Puerto Rican native was mentally ill before they entered his apartment. Status: No Charges Filed Sources Letter to Police Commissioner (Suffolk DA) AP AP Boston Globe WGBH The Crime Report Getty Images Blackstonian Related Cases ArmedArmed: Knife, Sword or BladeMental Health Crisis Boston MABoston Police Department

Armed, Armed: Knife, Sword or Blade, Mental Health Crisis

LaVeta Jackson, 36

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Boston, MA 124 Milton Avenue July 2, 2002 Black | Female | 36 Years Old Boston Police Department Mental Health Crisis Armed: Knife On July 2, 2002 Boston Police shot and killed LaVeta Jackson in her home. She suffered from mental illness. 3 officers fired 15-20 rounds. Police encountered a psychotic Jackson in the cellar of her residence after she had killed her own two young children with a knife. She lunged at officers with the same knife and she was shot to death. Status: Ruled Justified Sources Boston Globe (Op-Ed) Boston Globe Boston Globe (Archive) Fatal Encounters Deadly Force Boston Globe Press Release (City of Boston) Related Cases ArmedArmed: Knife, Sword or BladeMental Health Crisis Boston MABoston Police Department

Armed, Armed: Knife, Sword or Blade, Mental Health Crisis

Jose Pineda, 31

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Boston, MA East Boston May 29, 2001 Latino | Male | 31 Years Old Boston Police Mental Health Crisis Armed: Knife Jose Pineda, a Salvadoran immigrant who was shot and killed by plaintclothes Boston Police in East Boston. An officer shot Pineda, 31, after he stabbed a plainclothes detective in the leg in 2001. The East Boston man’s family said he was mentally ill and intoxicated at the time. He spoke little English and there were doubts that he understood commands to stop running away from police and drop his weapon. He had been mugged twice in that area, leading his family to believe that Pineda thought it was happening again. Status: Unknown Sources Boston Herald (Letters) Mass Live Related Cases ArmedArmed: Knife, Sword or BladeMental Health Crisis Boston MABoston Police Department

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