PHOTO BY PAULA MULLER
The Lynnway closed in both directions from Commercial to Shepard streets from shortly after 4 to about 9:30 a.m. Tuesday after a police-involved shooting in Lynn.
By THOR JOURGENSEN and GAYLA CAWLEY
LYNN — An armed robbery suspect was shot to death Tuesday morning by Lynn police and the incident turned the Lynnway into a crime scene, slowing morning commuter traffic to a crawl.
Police responded to a 911 call around 3:47 a.m. for an armed robbery at Lynnway Gulf, 525 Lynnway. Lynn Police Chief Kevin Coppinger said the suspect, identified as Michael McInnis, 41, of Malden, went into the station and told the clerk he had a gun.
McInnis robbed the station of $150 after a violent struggle, during which he threatened to shoot the clerk, according to the Essex County District Attorney’s office. The clerk was shaken up, but not hurt.
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McInnis fled on foot, walking the southbound side of the Lynnway until crossing at 491 Lynnway, where he was approached by Lynn police. Coppinger said the suspect had his hands in his pockets, and was ordered several times by police to show his hands.
Authorities said McInnis refused to comply with the requests from police and at some point, one of the officers discharged his weapon twice, striking the suspect in the upper torso.
“We had information that he was armed with a handgun,” Coppinger said of McInnis.
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The suspect was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital where he underwent surgery, and was pronounced dead shortly after 9 a.m., according to the DA.
No officers were hurt in the incident. But Coppinger said three officers directly involved were placed on paid administrative leave for three days as part of protocol for an officer-involved shooting.
Traffic was snarled for several hours following the incident with the Lynnway closed in both directions from Commercial to Shepard streets from shortly after 4 to about 9:30 a.m.
This is the third Lynn Police officer-involved shooting this year and all three cases are still under investigation by the Essex County District Attorney’s office, according to spokeswoman Carrie Kimball Monahan.
In October, Robert Dapkus, 57, was shot and killed by police at 300 Lynn Shore Drive, Apt. 511, where he lived. Police were attempting to execute a search warrant when the fatal shooting occurred. Dapkus was a suspect in an armed robbery at the Porthole Pub on Sept. 26. Authorities said after officers forced their way into the apartment, they found Dapkus pointing a gun. Police fired at the suspect as he exited into the hallway, still pointing the weapon.
Eight officers present for the incident were placed on three-day administrative leave. Their names have not been released by the DA’s office, Monahan said, as investigators requested that the names be withheld until additional interviews with the involved officers could be conducted.
Last January, three Lynn police officers shot and killed Randolph McClain, 33, who pointed a gun at them off Western Avenue following a morning pursuit. McClain was the subject of an ongoing investigation by the police department for multiple restraining order violations and threats. Officers went to 106 Bay View Ave., off Western Avenue, to execute five outstanding arrest warrants on the suspect.
Authorities said McClain fled the building on foot and ordered a female driver out of a vehicle at gunpoint. As officers approached the vehicle, the suspect pointed his gun at police and three officers fired at him.
Standard procedure from the DA’s office in an officer-involved shooting is to release the names of involved police officers after investigators have completed their interviews with them, Monahan said. Following the completion of an investigation, a full written report from the DA’s office will be released.
Thor Jourgensen can be reached at [email protected]. Gayla Cawley can be reached at [email protected].