Crime
Officer Christopher Gomez is charged with assault and a civil rights violation.
A former Lynn police officer has been indicted for allegedly using “unreasonable force” during a May 16 call for service at a residence, the Essex County District Attorney’s Office announced Thursday.
A grand jury indicted Christopher Gomez on charges of assault and battery and a civil rights violation in Essex County Superior Court, prosecutors said in a press release.
The assault charge carries a maximum penalty of 2.5 years in prison, while a civil rights violation carries a maximum of 10 years if it involved bodily harm, according to Mass. general laws. If there is no bodily harm, the maximum sentence is one year.
Lynn police wrote in a statement Thursday that the department reviewed the circumstances of the incident and launched an internal investigation before handing the matter to the DA’s office.
“This matter was initially identified and investigated internally by the Lynn Police Department,” the department said. “The Lynn Police Department cooperated fully with the District Attorney’s Office throughout its investigation.”
Gomez did not have an attorney listed as of Thursday night and could not be reached for comment.
Gomez stepped down from his position in the Lynn Police Department, but officials did not confirm when he resigned.
Lynn police wrote that the department referred the matter to the state’s Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission, with the recommendation that Gomez be fired and decertified.
There is body-worn camera footage of the incident, but prosecutors will not release it before the trial, the DA’s office wrote in the release.
A civil rights violation is defined as the use of force or threat of force to “willfully injure, intimidate or interfere” with any person who is exercising a right or privilege guaranteed by the Mass. or U.S. constitution, according to Mass. general laws.
The indictment alleges that Gomez used “unreasonable force” to deprive the other party of their rights against unreasonable searches and seizures.
Gomez is scheduled for an arraignment on Oct. 8.
Sign up for the Today newsletter
Get everything you need to know to start your day, delivered right to your inbox every morning.
