CAMBRIDGE — A man in his 60s died after he was shot during a confrontation with Cambridge police on Temple Street Friday night.
According to a joint statement from Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan and Cambridge Police Commissioner Pauline Wells, shortly after 8:00 p.m., on Aug. 21, 2026, Cambridge police responded to a call received on the police department’s business line reporting suspicious individuals in a loading dock/parking lot area behind several local businesses. The caller reported that the individuals had been in the area for a while.
The Cambridge police officers who responded to the scene spoke with several individuals in the area. According to the preliminary investigation, a man in his 60s who was seated in his vehicle when police arrived on scene, exited the vehicle and allegedly pointed a firearm at the officers.
Ryan and Wells reported that Cambridge police officers attempted to physically disarm the man before multiple shots were fired, striking him. A loaded firearm was allegedly recovered from the man by police.
Medical aid was provided to the man on scene, but he was pronounced dead.
Several Cambridge police officers were taken to area hospitals as a precaution. They were treated and later released.
The shooting is being investigated by the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office, the Massachusetts State Police Detective Unit assigned to the district attorney’s office, and Cambridge police. The investigation will include witness interviews and a review of available video, including footage from officers’ body-worn cameras.
Temple Street was closed early Saturday morning as investigators continued working at the scene.
According to the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office, under state law, the district attorney is responsible for investigating officer-involved shootings.
“In 2018, the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office began the practice of requesting inquests for these fatal incidents,” Ryan and Wells said in the joint statement. “An inquest is a judicial proceeding conducted for the purpose of finding the facts and circumstances surrounding a death and determining whether a crime occurred. This process prioritizes fairness, transparency and completeness.”
