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Pedestrian struck, killed by police cruiser in Chelsea

E-mail|Link August 20, 2010 04:18 PM

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By Brian Ballou, Globe Staff

A 56-year-old man was struck and killed by a Chelsea police cruiser late last night, officials said.

The man, identified this afternoon as David Burgess, walked onto Broadway at about 11:15 p.m. when he was struck by the cruiser, which was a sport utility vehicle. The officer had been responding to a call to assist Everett police engaged in a foot chase, according to a statement by Suffolk District Attorney Daniel F. Conley.

The statement did not say how fast the cruiser was going, only that the accident remains under investigation by State Police accident reconstruction and crime scene services, along with Chelsea police. The cruiser had its lights and sirens on at the time, the statement said.

Officials did not identify the police officer yesterday. He has been placed on administrative leave, and was treated for unspecified injuries at Massachusetts General Hospital. He was released.

Sheila Brenton, who lives on Broadway in the same apartment building as Burgess, said this morning that she heard the accident, and looked outside to see him lying on the ground. Police officers surrounded him and were trying to help him, saying, “wake up buddy.”

Burgess lived in a multi-family apartment building nearby, and Benton said he was a familiar face in the neighborhood. He would regularly sit on the front steps, or they would have tea and talk about random things. He was known to stop at the nearby Tedeschi’s Food Shops store for a corned beef and cheese sandwich.

Burgess lived alone, and his family is from Florida. Benton said that he often took bus rides on his own for the sake of driving around the city. She believes he may have gotten off a bus before the accident occurred.