Cambridge Police Investigating Breaking and Entering, Gunshots at Fifth Street

UPDATE

A person of interest from this morning’s 5^th Street shooting in Cambridge was located and found deceased this afternoon in Portsmouth, NH after a self-inflicted gunshot.  The individual was originally wanted by Cambridge Police for multiple warrants out of Middlesex Superior Court including Assault to Murder, ABDW, and Carrying a Dangerous Weapon. Additionally, through information we gained in investigative efforts, we learned that he may be in possession of a firearm and that he was in the Portsmouth, NH area at the America’s Best Inn. 

We notified Portsmouth Police this afternoon of this collective information and collaborated with them on the case.

Below is a press release issued by the Portsmouth Police Department.

An identification will be released once next-of-kin are notified.

Date of Release: March 20th, 2015

Reference:  America’s Best Inn

On March 20th, 2015 at approximately 3:00, Portsmouth Police was asked by Cambridge MA Police to assist them in the search for a wanted subject out of their town who was possibly armed.  Detectives from the Portsmouth Police Department, through their investigation, located the subject at a room at America’s Best Inn located at 383 Woodbury Avenue.  Members of the Seacoast Emergency Response Team and the New Hampshire State Police, assisted Portsmouth Police in evacuating and securing the area.

Police made phone contact with the subject who quickly ended the conversation.  Shortly after, the subject opened a window to his room and was immediately challenged by officers on the perimeter.  The subject then retreated back into the room and a gunshot was heard coming from the room.

Police tried to re-engage the subject but got no response.  The State Police used a robot to look into the room and it was soon determined that the subject was deceased by what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.  The scene remains under investigation.

-------------------------

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., March 20, 2015 – At approximately 12:14 a.m. early this morning, Cambridge Police responded to an address in the vicinity of Fifth Street and Gore Street on a report of a Breaking & Entering in Progress.  Upon arriving on scene, officers located a suspect outside of a vacant home currently under construction.  The suspect immediately fled the scene on foot.  Both officers gave chase.  As one officer pursued the suspect on foot, the suspect fired at least one shot at the officer, who immediately took cover and returned fire at the suspect.  The targeted officer was uninjured, and at the time of the report, there is no evidence that the suspect was injured as a result of the gun exchange.

The suspect is described as a heavy-set black male wearing a black hat. The scene is being thoroughly searched at this time with the assistance of the State Police and the State Police K-9 units. 

The investigation is ongoing and anyone with any additional information is asked to contact the Cambridge Police at 617-349-3300. 

For information on how to submit tips anonymously via phone, emails, and text messages, please visit www.CambridgePolice.org/Tips.  

###

The Cambridge Police Department is committed to the enforcement of laws and preservation of order that protect the rights and property of every person within the City of Cambridge. Our mission is to provide the highest quality of police service and to impact crime, and its associated elements, through the utilization of new and proven crime prevention strategies and problem-solving partnerships with our community.  For more information, follow @CambridgePolice on Twitter, or access the department’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/CambridgePolice.