By Anthony Iafrate
A sword-wielding man in Boston attacked a mental health clinician Saturday after speaking with the worker — who was sent to assist police — for about 40 minutes through a locked door.
The man called 911, claiming that four armed people were trying to harm him. When police officers arrived, they found him behind a locked door and sent a clinician, who spoke with him for nearly 45 minutes while the door remained closed, CBS News reported Monday. However, as soon as the man opened the door at first responders’ urging, he brandished a sword, swiftly knocked the mental health worker to the ground, and stabbed one of the officers in the arm. (RELATED: Trump Admin Probes Boston’s Alleged ‘Social Engineering Project’)
“At some point the officers requested the assistance of EMS [emergency medical services] and their clinician. … After an extended period of time EMS and the clinician concluded that this person was in some type of immediate need of attention due to certainly suffering from some type of mental health crisis,” Boston Police Department (BPD) Commissioner Michael Cox said in a Saturday afternoon press conference.
“As they asked the individual to begin the process of maybe coming up and keeping the attention they needed, the individual immediately opened the door and struck both the clinician and an officer who was outside the door,” Cox continued. “He was armed with some type of sword, striking, or I should say, stabbing, the officer in the arm, knocking at least the EMS clinician to the ground.”
“One or more officers, under investigation at this time, fired both a Taser and their weapon at the individual, bringing the person to a halt. EMS immediately provided medical attention to the caller … who was taken to area hospitals and treated,” the commissioner added. “Unfortunately, the person succumbed to the injuries.”
When asked for comment, the BPD referred the Daily Caller News Foundation to audio from Cox’s Saturday press conference.
“For 10 years, BPD has partnered with Boston Medical Center’s Boston Emergency Services Team (BEST). Police officers are paired with mental health workers,” the City of Boston’s website states. “Together, they respond to mental health calls that present a public safety risk.”
“Co-response has been shown to divert individuals with mental illness from the criminal justice system and the emergency room. It also connects them to the care they need,” the website claimed.
While serving on the Boston City Council in June 2020, one month after the death of George Floyd, now-Democratic Mayor Michelle Wu filed and championed an ordinance that sought to divert 911 calls deemed nonviolent from police to social workers and health care professionals. Also in 2020, Wu supported a 10% budget cut to the BPD, although she has since backtracked from supporting such cuts after being elected mayor the following year.
In 2024, Wu and her administration announced $21 million in funding for “in transformative funding for mental and behavioral health programs and services to support the City’s youth and families,” according to a press release at the time, which did not mention law enforcement.
