Crime
Nicholas O’Malley is the first Boston officer to be charged in a fatal on-duty shooting in decades.
Boston Police Officer Nicholas O’Malley pleaded not guilty to manslaughter in the fatal shooting of Stephenson King Jr. Jonathan Wiggs / The Boston Globe
May 20, 2026 | 1:23 PM
3 minutes to read
A grand jury has indicted the Boston police officer who shot and killed a carjacking suspect in Roxbury earlier this year — a case that has bitterly divided local law enforcement and public officials.
The first Boston officer to be charged in a fatal on-duty shooting in decades, Nicholas O’Malley, 34, stands accused of an unjustified use of lethal force in the March 11 death of Stephenson King Jr., 39. A Suffolk County grand jury on Wednesday indicted O’Malley on one count of voluntary manslaughter.
His arraignment is scheduled for June 4, online court records show.
Prosecutors say the incident began when O’Malley and another officer responded to a reported carjacking in Mission Hill the evening of March 11. They purportedly found King sitting inside the stolen vehicle near 10 Linwood Square in Roxbury and approached with their firearms drawn, yelling commands. King allegedly showed them his hands “at times” and partially rolled down the window, though he did not unlock or turn off the car, according to court records.
“Bro, I’m gonna f***ing shoot you,” O’Malley allegedly shouted to King through the window, “while holstering his firearm in favor of a Taser.”
King repeatedly drove forward and backward in an attempt to flee, backing into an unoccupied police cruiser. O’Malley allegedly drew his firearm again and fired three shots at King as the car began to pull forward one last time. He would later tell officials King “tried to run us over,” according to court documents, though prosecutors say body-worn camera footage revealed neither officer was in danger of being struck.
In fact, bodycam footage from both officers established that King was “maneuvering and clearly trying to drive away, rather than run anyone over,” Assistant District Attorney Ian Polumbaum said in March.
Still, defense attorney David Yannetti has indicated O’Malley’s team intends to argue self-defense.
“It is disappointing that the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office is choosing to second-guess an officer whose only goal was to protect the public,” Yannetti told The Boston Globe last week. Boston.com has reached out to Yannetti for comment on Wednesday’s indictment.
Prosecutors also met with King’s family this week to update them on the case and show them bodycam footage of the encounter, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office said. DA Kevin Hayden has thus far declined to release the video to the public, despite records requests and demands from elected officials.
“To do so would clearly compromise and imperil the ongoing investigation and the future prosecution of this most serious matter,” he explained in March.
The Massachusetts Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission — the state’s police oversight board — suspended O’Malley soon after his arrest, and the Boston Police Department placed him on paid administrative leave.
Ben Crump, a civil rights attorney who has represented the families of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, is now working with King’s relatives. In a statement Wednesday, he said O’Malley’s indictment and prosecution “sends a powerful message about the seriousness of this case.”
“For months, Stephenson King Jr.’s loved ones have been grieving the devastating loss of a son, a family member and a man whose life mattered deeply, while also fighting for the transparency and accountability they deserve,” Crump said.
King’s family members “deserve the full truth about what happened to Stephenson and a justice system willing to fully examine every decision that led to his death,” Crump continued. “We will continue standing beside them and demanding transparency, truth and justice every step of the way.”
Abby Patkin is a general assignment news reporter whose work touches on public transit, crime, health, and everything in between.
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