A police officer shot a man in Fitchburg early Sunday morning, moments after police say he pointed a gun at the officer.
Fitchburg police found the man walking shirtless toward Lunenburg Street around 9:21 a.m. Sunday, the city’s mayor, Sam Squailia, wrote in a facebook post. The man “was making suicidal statements with a firearm,” Squailia said.
An arriving officer tried to de-escalate the situation, but police say moments later the man pointed a gun “directly at the officer.”
The officer then fired his weapon, striking the man. The man was in stable condition at the scene and was taken to an area hospital, the release said. It remains in a stable state.
The officer who shot the man is a two-year veteran of the department and is now on administrative leave.
The shooting remains under investigation.