A Boston police officer has been charged with manslaughter following the “unjustified” fatal shooting of a man suspected of a violent carjacking earlier this month, officials say.
Nicholas O’Malley, a 33-year-old resident of Randolph, pleaded not guilty during a tense arraignment at Roxbury District Court Thursday.
The courtroom was packed with dozens of O’Malley’s fellow officers in a show of departmental solidarity, yet the prosecution painted a harrowing picture of an encounter that investigators say did not warrant lethal force.
The chain of events began on March 11, 2026, when police were called to 1590 Tremont Street. A woman reported she had been sitting in the passenger seat of her running vehicle when she was assaulted and dragged onto the pavement. The suspect, later identified as 39-year-old Stephenson King, fled the scene in her car, according to court documents obtained by Boston 25 News.
Later that night, O’Malley and his partner tracked the stolen vehicle to 10 Linwood Square. According to the police report, the officers approached the car with guns drawn. King was found reclining in the driver’s seat.
As reported by Boston 25 News, the police narrative indicates O’Malley moved to the driver’s side window while his partner took a position behind the vehicle. At this point, O’Malley allegedly drew a Taser and shouted at King, “Bro, I’m gonna f****** shoot you!”
The situation escalated rapidly as King shifted the car into reverse, striking a police cruiser. He then moved the vehicle forward and backward again in a desperate attempt to maneuver away. It was during the final forward movement that O’Malley fired his gun at least three times.
King’s vehicle accelerated, crashed into a nearby stone wall and came to a halt. Despite officers performing CPR at the scene, King was pronounced dead at the hospital at 10:24 p.m. An autopsy later confirmed he had been struck three times. Notably, no weapon was found on King or anywhere inside the vehicle.
The central conflict of the case rests on whether O’Malley’s fear was “reasonable.” Immediately following the discharge of his weapon, O’Malley radioed that the suspect had “tried to run us over.”
However, Assistant District Attorney Ian Polumbaum told the court that body-worn camera footage tells a different story. The footage has not been released. The prosecution alleges that neither officer was in the car’s path when the shots were fired.
But, “O’Malley’s partner was more in danger from the shots fired than the driver’s vehicle,” Polumbaum said.
Outside of the courtroom, Polumbaum further explained, as reported by Boston 25 News.
“In the vast majority of cases, we find that the perception and actions were reasonable,” he said. “This is that extremely unusual case unfortunately where we do not believe either the perception of danger, if that was his perception, or the actions he took in response were reasonable.”
Under Massachusetts law, police are prohibited from firing into a moving vehicle unless it is strictly necessary to prevent imminent death or serious injury, and only if the force used is proportionate to the threat.
The arrest has sparked a fierce backlash from the Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association. Union President Larry Calderone slammed the District Attorney’s office, accusing them of scapegoating an officer who had to make a split-second decision in a high-adrenaline environment.
“It’s very easy to come in Monday morning and take a look at a body camera and try to determine what an officer felt from your point of view,” Calderone told Boston 25 News. “That body-worn camera doesn’t have human adrenaline.
“None of you know what it is to have your life, your partner’s life, or some other innocent victim, possibly their life in your hands, and have to make that determination in a split second.”
Calderone maintained that O’Malley acted out of a genuine belief that his partner was about to be crushed, regardless of what the later video analysis suggested.
Conversely, city leadership has backed the swift move toward prosecution.
Mayor Michelle Wu told Boston 25 News, “I am grateful to District Attorney Hayden and Commissioner Cox for the urgency they have brought to this investigation and for their commitment to transparency in the pursuit of justice.
O’Malley, who has been suspended by the Massachusetts Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission, was released on his own recognizance on the condition that he surrender all firearms. The case is now expected to move to a grand jury, with O’Malley due back in court in May.
