Woburn officer faces a long road to recovery

By Peter Schworm and Brian R. Ballou, Globe Staff

Robert DeNapoli, the Woburn police officer shot mutiple times as he thwarted a jewelry store robbery, was listed in good condition today, but will likely face a lengthy recovery from his wounds.

“He’s got serious injuries,” said Ralph Coakley, a Woburn police detective. “He really does. He is facing a couple of surgeries.”

Coakley said DeNapoli’s wife and three adult children were by his side at Lahey Clinic. Counselors were on hand for his fellow police officers.

DeNapoli was working a funeral detail in Woburn Tuesday day morning when a jewelry store at the city’s Four Corners crossroads reported a robbery. DeNapoli, a 16-year-veteran of the force, was one of the first officers to reach the scene, and immediately found himself under heavy fire.

Witnesses said one suspect, a tall man dressed in black, shot DeNapoli several times at close range from the hood of his cruiser, even as a wounded DeNapoli lay defenseless on the ground.

Police shot one suspect, who was hospitalized and placed under arrest. Prosecutors said today the wounded suspect had not recovered enough to be arraigned.

As many as three suspects remain at large.

Coakley said it was a blessing that DeNapoli survived, but that police are shaken by the shooting.

“We’re trained police officers, but I don’t think you can ever be fully prepared for something like this,” Coakley said. “We’re maintaining.”

In December, Woburn Police Officer John Maguire was shot and killed by a robber, a career criminal on parole.

Jim Dwyer, a state representative from Woburn who has known DeNapoli for many years, said DeNapoli and Maguire were good friends. They worked nights together, and DeNapoli helped organize a large fundraiser for his family after his death.

“He was a motivating force,” Dwyer said. “That’s Bobby. That’s who he is.”

Dwyer described DeNapoli as friendly and outgoing, and said he is well-respected among his peers.

“He always has a smile on his face,” he said.

Dwyer said DeNapoli’s father-in-law was a Woburn police officer for many years, and served with Maguire’s father.

Dwyer said DeNapoli was working a funeral detail when the holdup occurred, and was among the first on the scene of the attempted heist.

Dwyer said DeNapoli’s shooting, so soon after Maguire’s murder, has left the police department, and a close-knit community, badly shaken.

“Woburn’s been traumatized now,” he said. “Twice.”

Musto Jewelers, the target of the heist, was not open today, although a message in the window promised it would reopen soon. Other stores in the two-story complex on Cambridge Road were open, and some regular customers recalled Tuesday’s events.

Tom Dean was on his way to buy lottery tickets when he heard a dozen shots. He took cover behind a parked car, then saw the downed officer when he rushed around the corner.

“When I saw the cop on the ground, I just said, ‘Oh no,’ It’s something you’ll never forget,” he said.