Boston Officer Charged With Manslaughter in Fatal Shooting of Stephenson King

Boston Police Officer Nicholas O'Malley, 33, is charged with manslaughter in connection with the death of Stephenson King, 39, of Dorchester, a case built on a critical contradiction: O'Malley allegedly claimed over the radio that King "tried to run us over," but based on body camera footage and interviews, "that statement was not factually true" and neither officer was in danger of being hit by the car at the time O'Malley fired.

Police pursued King after he allegedly committed a carjacking outside a pizza restaurant in Boston's Mission Hill neighborhood around 9:45 p.m. The mother of a restaurant employee who was parked outside was approached by a man who demanded the vehicle. About 15 minutes later, officers stopped the stolen car less than a mile away, at Linwood Square in Roxbury.

According to a police report, King opened the car window at the command of police officers but did not turn the vehicle off. Positioned outside the driver's side window, O'Malley drew a department-issued Taser and shouted, "Bro, I'm going to [expletive] shoot you." At that moment, King backed into the cruiser behind him, then maneuvered the vehicle forward and back "in an attempt to escape the police." As King started to drive forward again, O'Malley drew his gun and fired three shots through the driver's window, striking King. Officers removed King and performed CPR until EMS transported him to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 10:24 p.m. An autopsy found that King had been struck three times, with two bullets recovered from his torso.

No weapons were found in King's possession or inside the car. Prosecutors painted the shooting as a clear overstep. Assistant District Attorney Ian Polumbaum said on behalf of the commonwealth that "O'Malley's partner was more in danger from the shots fired than the driver's vehicle." Polumbaum added outside court: "In the vast majority of cases, we find that the perception and actions were reasonable. This is that extremely unusual case unfortunately where we do not believe either the perception of danger, if that was his perception, or the actions he took in response were reasonable."

O'Malley was arrested and pleaded not guilty in the Boston Municipal Court's Roxbury Division, keeping his gaze to the floor as prosecutors accused him of unjustified use of deadly force. The courtroom was filled with Boston Police in support of the six-year veteran. Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden recommended $25,000 bail, but the judge released O'Malley while the case proceeds to a grand jury. The requested bail amount, Hayden's office noted, reflected the seriousness of the allegations and amounted to about an eighth of O'Malley's 2025 earnings, which exceeded $218,000.

Defense attorney Kenneth Anderson pushed back hard. "They can say whatever they want about my client being able to see where his partner was because his body-worn camera could see it," Anderson said. "But that body-worn camera does not have human adrenaline. That body-worn camera is not worried about not seeing somebody's hands, that body-worn camera isn't worried about going home safe at night." Anderson objected to the fact that O'Malley was arrested at his home rather than being allowed to turn himself in, and suggested the move was an "election year" ploy by Hayden, who is up for reelection.

Larry Calderone, president of the Boston Police Patrolmen's Association, was flanked by at least 60 officers standing in support of O'Malley when he explained that officer perception matters. "No officer ever wants to take a life, ever wants to discharge their firearm," Calderone said. The case is believed to be the first time in decades that a Boston police officer has been charged with manslaughter for an on-duty shooting.

The historical odds, however, are sobering for both sides. Attorney and law professor Margo Lindauer said she is surprised at how quickly the officer was charged, adding: "It is very rare that police officers, even if they are charged, are found guilty by a judge or jury." The Massachusetts POST Commission has already acted: the state's police oversight board suspended O'Malley after he was charged. A GoFundMe has raised more than $400,000 for his family.

Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden said no body camera footage will be released at this time, despite several Boston City Councilors calling for its release. The grand jury will now determine whether this case goes to trial, and with it, whether the first on-duty manslaughter charge against a Boston officer in roughly 30 years ends in conviction or acquittal.