Investigators Search for Motive Behind Cop Shooting Fellow Officer
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Jupiterimages/Thinkstock(BEVERLY, Mass.) — Investigators are searching for a motive behind the alleged shooting of a Massachusetts officer who shot a fellow colleague, before turning the gun on himself, according to police.
The two men knew each other and had arranged to meet at a Starbucks coffee shop at a strip mall, according to investigators, who did not confirm if a motive for the shooting has been established.
Beverly police officer Jason Lantych, 35, stumbled into the Starbucks around 6 p.m. He had been shot in his groin and wrist and was bleeding profusely. Patrons immediately came to his aid.
Witnesses told police they heard multiple gunshots right before Lantych entered the coffee shop. Lantych identified the gunman as Sgt. Kenneth Nagy, 43, who allegedly fled the scene in a black SUV. Nagy was an off-duty sergeant from a nearby town, Hamilton.
“He was shot in the groin area,” one man told ABC News affiliate WCVB. “We elevated his leg and applied pressure and I told my buddy to apply pressure, we got the bleeding to slow down a little bit.”
Lantych was rushed to the hospital and underwent surgery Friday night. Police told WCVB he was listed in critical condition.
Friday night, investigators identified Nagy as the prime suspect in the shooting. A warrant for his arrest was issued and a statewide manhunt was launched.
Essex County District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett warned the public during a press conference Friday night that Nagy was armed and dangerous.
Just 15 minutes after the plea from the district attorney, the search was over.
Nagy fatally shot himself in his SUV parked in a parking lot on the opposite side of the building from where the mayhem began.
The Massachusetts State Police told ABC News that they will not make any further comments on the case and that it’s being handled by the Essex County District Attorney’s Office.
Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio