Benjamin Paulin
<ben@jgpr.net>
KINGSTON — Police Chief Maurice Splaine reports that the shooting of an assault suspect by a Kingston Police officer early this morning is currently under active investigation by State Police detectives assigned to the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office.
At approximately 2:45 a.m. Tuesday, Kingston Police received a 911 call from a security guard at the Kingston Collection mall, located at 101 Kingston Collection Way. The guard reported that a man in his 20s allegedly brandished a large knife and told the guard to get out of the vehicle.
Kingston Police officers quickly arrived on scene and located the suspect near the entrance of the old Sears parking lot. The man had a large knife in a sheath on his hip. The man was given several verbal commands by the officers and the man ignored their commands.
During the incident, in response to the suspect’s aggressive and threatening actions, officers attempted to deescalate the situation and used non-lethal tactics to get him to comply. The man continued to escalate his threatening behavior and fearing for the safety of themselves and the safety of others, the officers drew their firearms. The man was shot once in the shoulder.
The man was transported by ambulance to a local hospital. He was then flown by medical helicopter to a Boston hospital. His injuries are not believed to be life threatening.
The man was subsequently identified as Alexander Bakutis, age 25, of Plymouth. Bakutis is in police custody and has been charged with three counts of Assault with a Dangerous Weapon.
Bakutis is expected to be arraigned remotely by the Plymouth District Court on Wednesday, Sept. 23.
The officer involved was also transported by ambulance to a local hospital for precautionary reasons. The officer was uninjured and was released from the hospital earlier today. The officer, a 15-year veteran of the department will be on administrative leave during the investigation.
Investigating officers recovered and seized the large knife and other items as evidence from Bakutis.
The incident is actively being investigated by State Police detectives assigned to the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office. The Kingston Police Department is cooperating fully with that investigation.
The Southeastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council (SEMLEC) Critical Incident Stress Management unit responded to the scene to assist the Kingston Police Department.
All further inquiries about this incident should be referred to the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office.
These are allegations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty.