A 35-year-old Raynham man who was shot and killed by police in the Bristol County town Tuesday afternoon was set to be arrested on a witness intimidation charge tied to an assault case involving his girlfriend and he had lost his job earlier that morning, Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III’s office said.
Stephen Maclean was shot and killed inside his apartment on King Phillip Street after he pointed a loaded gun at police arriving at the apartment “just after he opened the door,” Quinn’s office said in a statement Tuesday evening. A pair of police officers fired their weapons at Maclean, and officers on scene rushed to his aid after he was shot, officials said. Maclean was taken to Morton Hospital in Taunton, where he was pronounced dead.
Maclean had previously been arrested on Monday on charges of witness intimidation and disorderly conduct, after prosecutors say he intimidated a witness in an assault case where his girlfriend was the defendant. Probation officials had sought to detain Maclean because of the new arrest. Maclean was on probation for an operating under the influence case at the time of the Monday arrest but was released following his arraignment, according to the statement.
Raynham police were called to Maclean’s King Phillip Street apartment by his girlfriend, who told officers he had been acting erratically, was fired from his job earlier Tuesday, and was being “belligerent and aggressive,” according to Quinn’s office.
“When police arrived at his apartment, the deceased opened the door to his apartment and immediately pointed a handgun at the officers,” Quinn’s office said.
Massachusetts State Police detectives assigned to Quinn’s office and prosecutors are investigating the fatal shooting.
“This was a very dangerous incident where our officers had a firearm pointed at them by an armed individual,” Raynham Police Chief David LaPlante told reporters on Tuesday. “Our officers responded consistent with their training and rendered emergency medical aid to the suspect until paramedics arrived.”
