A Worcester, Massachusetts, man who is accused of shooting two family members before barricading himself inside a home for hours was arraigned Tuesday on assault to murder and other charges.
According to the Worcester County District Attorney's Office, Caleb Boateng, 24, pleaded not guilty in Worcester District Court to a slew of charges, including two counts of armed assault to murder, two counts of assault and battery with a firearm, and firearms charges. He was held without bail pending a dangerous hearing, which is scheduled for July 17.
The charges stem from an incident on Friday morning, when police officers, firefighters, paramedics, a hostage negotiation team, SWAT team, K9 unit, drone operators, and a mobile crisis mental health clinician all responded to a home on Colby Avenue Friday morning after a shooting. Boateng is accused of shooting two family members, then firing at responding police officers before running inside the house.
Both victims are expected to survive. They have been identified only as a man and a woman.
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Law enforcement on scene confirmed no one else was inside the home and set up a perimeter outside that was maintained by the SWAT team. Neighbors in nearby houses were evacuated and others were notified of the situation through a reverse 911 call, police said.
For the next approximately 13 hours, hostage negotiators continually attempted to make contact with the man inside, trying to persuade him to come out of the home.
Worcester police Lt. Murtha described it as a very long, drawn out situation, saying the man, later identified as Boateng, was generally not answering calls from officials, who were utilizing all resources in an attempt to get him out of the house peacefully. This included being in touch with family members, using a drone to provide valuable aerial video, and live streaming officers' body cameras to provide different angles.
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During this extended time, Worcester police say Boateng came out and fired his handgun at officers multiple times. Officers did return gunfire.
Finally, around 9:30 p.m., the man took a step out of the back of the home, at which point he was taken into custody with assistance from the K9 unit. Lt. Murtha said the man resisted arrest somewhat, saying he was striking the police dog, K9 Beebs, during the process of being arrested.
Boateng was hurt when he was taken into custody, with injuries including a dog bite and a gunshot wound. He was treated by paramedics.
According to Lt. Murtha, Boateng was not well-known by police. Those who knew him expressed shot at the allegations against him.
A close friend and high school classmate of the suspect told NBC10 Boston, "You never thought this person would do something like this, you know? But this morning he wake up and just snapped out of it.”
“He’s not a bad kid," Abdul Adam added. "He probably does have a couple of speeding tickets, that’s it, but my boy doesn’t have a bad record, none of that. He don’t gang bang, he don’t do nothing like that.”
Police said he believes there was some kind of dispute that led to the shooting.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline by calling 1-800-799-SAFE (7233), visiting www.thehotline.org or texting LOVEIS to 22522.
