John O’Keefe was a 16-year veteran of the Boston Police Department. He was found outside a Canton home early Saturday during the winter storm, and the circumstances surrounding his death are under investigation.
The death of a Boston police officer is being investigated after he was found early Saturday morning outside a Canton home during blizzard-like conditions, the Norfolk County District Attorney's Office said.
According to the DA's office, the BPD officer appeared to have been in the cold for some period of time before he was found outside a home on Fairview Road. He was taken to Good Samaritan Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
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The officer -- later identified by Boston police as John O'Keefe -- knew the people who lived inside the house where he was found, the DA's office said.
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Boston police released a statement later Sunday, saying it is with "deep regret" that they announce the death of O'Keefe, an active-duty officer.
"O'Keefe was a 16-year veteran of the BPD who served admirably in several assignments during his career," the police department's statement read. "John will be greatly missed by his friends and colleagues here at the Boston Police Department as we send our heartfelt condolences to his family, and loved ones during this difficult time."
Canton police chief Ken Berkowitz commented on O'Keefe's death on Twitter, saying, "Our thoughts and prayers are with the deceased officer, his family and the entire Boston Police Department."
Berkowitz also directed all inquiries to the district attorney's office.
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The circumstances of O'Keefe's death are under investigation, and an autopsy is expected to be completed Monday.
On Saturday, Boston and other parts of the state were in the thick of a blizzard, with winds gusting to more than 80 mph in some parts of Massachusetts and snow piling up across the Bay State.
No other information was immediately available.
