Two were injured as a state trooper opens fire
SPRINGFIELD — Two people were transported to the Baystate Medical Center following an officer involved shooting on I-91 near Exit 8 at approximately 12:20 a.m. Sunday.
The male driver of the vehicle and a female passenger were injured when a State Police trooper opened fire on the car the two were in as the male apparently drove toward the trooper.
State Police spokesman David Procopio said in an emailed statement that a State Trooper assigned to Troop B and working out of the Springfield Barracks had stopped a vehicle on the southbound lane of I-91 near the Chicopee exit. As the traffic stop progressed the driver of the car became agitated and combative with the trooper. The details are unclear, but according to Procopio's statement, at some point the driver returned to his car and started to drive. According to the statement, the trooper was put in fear for his safety and fired his weapon.
The male was seriously injured in the shooting while the female passenger may or may not have been injured by gunfire. Both were taken to the hospital by ambulance.
Investigators from the Troop B headquarters in Northampton, the State Police Crime Scene Service Section and the he State Police investigative unit attached to the Hampden County District Attorney's Office are conducting an investigation.