BOYLSTON — A fatal officer-involved shooting at a family home in Boylston on Wednesday, March 5, 2025, following an hours-long police search, has left residents with lingering questions about what happened in their neighborhood.
According to a Boylston Police Department statement posted on Facebook at 9:43 a.m. that day, officers were searching for a 25-year-old white man described as 5 feet 7 inches tall, weighing 194 pounds, with brown hair and blue eyes. He was last seen wearing a black hoodie and was considered “armed and dangerous.”
Police warned residents to stay inside as officers, K9 units, and drones searched the area of Central Street and French Drive. Roads were shut down, including Central Street between Linden Street and French Drive, and French Drive at its intersection with Main Street.
By 11:06 a.m., police confirmed that there was an active crime scene but assured the public that there was no ongoing threat.
At 4:26 p.m., the Worcester County District Attorney’s Office announced an investigation into a fatal officer-involved shooting at the home but clarified that no police officers had been shot. Officials have not disclosed the circumstances leading up to the shooting.
The shooting occurred at a green-colored house on Central Street, where a husband, wife, and their two adult sons lived. Neighbors described them as an ordinary family who often set up a pool in their backyard during the summer.
The incident left neighbors shaken.
Jane Lucia Molina, who lives several yards north of the house where the shooting occurred, returned home from a doctor’s appointment that morning to find a fire truck and ambulance outside her neighbor’s home. She recalled receiving an emergency alert from police instructing residents to stay indoors as officers secured the area.
“It was very unsettling, I think, for everybody here,” Molina told MassLive. “The police were very helpful. They had issued a call telling everyone to stay inside, so you felt safe. But it was very unsettling because once you see the ambulances, all the police activity, the drones, the helicopter…”
She added that although she usually hears LifeFlight helicopters transporting patients to the hospital, the sound of police helicopters overhead made her think that “something sad happened” at her neighbor’s home.
Another neighbor, Tom Garry, who lives across Central Street from the home, was at work in Framingham when the incident occurred. He returned home around 7 p.m. to find the road still closed but was allowed back into his neighborhood.
“It’s sad to hear that somebody died,” Garry said. “The next day, I was talking to my kids and said, ‘I hope the neighbors are okay.’”
By Thursday morning, police had cleared the area, and the street had reopened.
Authorities have not released the identity of the deceased or provided details on the circumstances of the shooting.
The Worcester County District Attorney’s Office stated that the investigation is in its early stages and that no further updates will be provided until the “investigation becomes more complete.”
