DA: Woman dies after officer fires weapon during wellness check at Easton home

EASTON, Mass — An investigation is underway after a woman was killed in an officer-involved shooting at a home in Easton on Sunday, authorities said.

Officers conducting a wellness check at a home on Spooner Street around 11:30 a.m. encountered a 56-year-old woman who was armed with a weapon and threatening to harm herself, according to Easton Police Chief Keith Boone.

The Bristol County District Attorney’s office is investigating after a member of the Easton Police Department fired their gun during a stand-off at a home in which the barricaded woman was found deceased Sunday.

Metro-Lec regional response team set up a perimeter outside of the home after other residents inside were evacuated.

When the woman later appeared in the home’s entryway with the weapon, one of the officers, fearing for their safety, fired a single shot at the woman, according to police.

The regional response team entered the home and found the woman dead inside after negotiators made several attempts to reach her by phone.

The police officer who fired the shot has been placed on paid administrative leave pending the results of the investigation.

Police did not state specifics regarding the woman’s cause of death. She has not been identified by officials.

State police detectives assigned to the Bristol DA’s office are investigating the incident.

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