The Brockton police officer who was shot Thursday night during a standoff has been released from the hospital and his alleged shooter has been identified.
Massachusetts State Police identified the gunman Friday as Kevin Serpa, a 32-year-old who lives in the Brockton home where the hours long standoff took place Thursday night. Serpa died, as did 28-year-old Christopher Gomes, who was found shot in his SUV at the scene.
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The officer, recent academy graduate Robert Otis, left Boston Medical Center Friday.
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He was was shot four times, including at least once in his Kevlar bulletproof vest by Serpa, Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz said.
In surveillance footage showing how the incident unfolded, an SUV is seen driving down Tabor Avenue and parking, before someone walks up it and fires. The vehicle lurches forward, and the gunman follows it, firing again into it. A police SUV arrives at the scene, but gunshots are fired -- from a second-floor window, according to prosecutors -- hitting Otis.
He was taken to Boston Medical Center with a heavy police escort during rush hour traffic. He was alert and speaking with paramedics when he arrived. The nature of his injuries hasn't been clarified, but they were not life-threatening.
"We almost lost a guy," Brockton police Chief Emanuel Gomes said Friday, his eyes welling up with tears. "It's emotional because I have a young son on Boston PD and I see him and all these kids and it was almost a tragic event. You almost feel like you're responsible for them, and I'm so happy that he's safe."
Gomes and Brockton Mayor Robert Sullivan met with Otis Friday.
“We are so thankful and our prayers and our thoughts are with him as he continues to recover," Sullivan said. "Our Brockton police officers are so brave every single day. He should be commended."
Gomes said the officer still has a bullet lodged inside of him; doctors opted not to perform surgery to remove it.
He said the officer had just graduated from the police academy and handled himself extremely well on Thursday night.
"It's a proud day for the Brockton Police Department," Gomes said. "He did an amazing job last night. His actions saved his own life and possibly the lives of others."
Otis' parents told NBC10 Boston that one of the first things he said to them was that he couldn't wait to get back to work.
"We are so happy that our son is okay. He is driven and fearless. He was born and raised in Brockton and feels strongly about getting drugs and guns off the streets. We are so proud of him and we know he can't wait to get back to work," the family said in a statement.
The incident began around 5:45 p.m. Thursday when police received several 911 calls about a man with a gun on Taber Avenue.
Serpa, the man who shot the officer, barricaded himself inside his home. State and local police tried to negotiate with him, but Cruz said the man shot himself outside the house around 9:30 p.m. He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Additionally, Cruz said Christopher Gomes of Brocktonwas found dead from a gunshot wound in an SUV "in the vicinity" of the Taber Avenue home. He did not say how this was connected to the police shooting and the standoff, but noted that investigators do not believe the incident to be random.
Investigators searched the area for any evidence and potential explosives overnight.
Cruz added that he does not believe any of the police officers on the scene shot anyone.
As the incident unfolded Thursday evening, a large number of police officers and other first responders flooded the area at two nearby scenes in Brockton.
Neighbors told NBC10 Boston they were left rattled by the shooting, reconsidering how safe the neighborhood is.
Shaun Banion, who said he was friends with the suspect, said he was stunned by what happened.
"To see this happen, I don’t know what to think anymore. Honest to God, I don’t," Banion said. "I never expected it to happen to any of my inner circle of friends and to happen to him… I have no idea what the motive is behind any of this -- what he did."
Banion said he and the suspect's dad were trying to work with negotiators to get the him out of the home peacefully.
"From my understanding, the negotiators actually said he was outside, so I was happy they were going to get rid of him peacefully and I kept praying left and right that, just come on surrender yourself, you know you're gonna go to jail but you'll still be alive."
Witness James Corbett, too, was surprised.
"It just sounded like bangs," Corbett said. "I didn’t realize there was an issue until I went outside and saw the helicopters everywhere."
The investigation is ongoing and is being conducted by state and Brockton police. Gomes said it will be a "long and arduous investigation" and it's too early to release any further information at this time.
More on the Brockton officer's shooting
