Thursday, 4:30 PM
DA identifies man shot by New Bedford police
By Globe Staff
Authorities today identified the man shot and killed by New Bedford police last night as Lamont Cruz.
Cruz, 38, was shot by two officers who were checking 60 Thomas St. in the city's center at about 7:30 p.m. last night. A police statement said that the officers encountered "an individual, a firearm was observed, and at some point the officers had to draw their department-issued firearms. Shots were fired and the suspect was struck."
Cruz was later pronounced dead at St. Luke's Hospital.
Bristol County District Attorney Paul F. Walsh Jr. issued a statement today that said that his office had taken witness statements and seized evidence from the scene that included ballistics that needed to be analyzed.
"We will apply the law to the facts as we find them and issue conclusions," Walsh said in the written statement. "We recognize that there is great interest concerning this matter however it is more important to be thorough than to be fast and it is equally important to come to no conclusions and offer no statements until the investigation is complete."
