Cop struck, shots fired near club

Cop struck, shots fired near club

By O’Ryan Johnson | Sunday, October 10, 2010 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Local Coverage

Photo by Mark Garfinkel

An officer was struck by a car and a suspect was fired on by police in a wild scene outside a Roxbury nightclub early yesterday morning, authorities said.

No one was struck by gunfire and the officer’s injuries were not serious, according to police.

The chaotic sequence of events unfolded about 2 a.m. as a club was letting out on Melnea Cass Boulevard. Police said there was a large crowd in the street when someone fired a gun in a parking garage nearby.

When they tried to stop the driver of a car described by witnesses, police said, he refused and steered into traffic. Police surrounded the car with guns drawn, and after being ordered to stop for a second time, the driver gunned the engine and an officer fired a single round, cops said.

Police are still investigating what prompted the officer to fire. It was unclear whether there was a threat to pedestrians passing in front of the vehicle as it began to move, or whether the vehicle was driving toward the officer. The officer is on paid administrative leave until cleared to return.

One officer was struck by the suspect’s car. No further details were available yesterday.

Police arrested the driver, who had fled after driving away and striking a parked car nearby. Johnell Gilmore, 35, of Boston is charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, failure to stop for police, driving to endanger and leaving the scene of an accident after causing property damage. No gun was found.

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1287874