Crime
“Officer Valenzuela fired his off-duty handgun in a lawful use of force that was necessary to prevent Mr. Jaramillo from killing or seriously wounding the younger male or anyone else.”
The off-duty officer who fatally shot an armed man inside a Boston Chick-fil-A in 2025 was justified, prosecutors said.
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Off-duty Boston police officer fatally shoots armed man in Back Bay Chick-fil-A, officials say
Around 5:30 p.m. on March 1, 2025, Lemark Jaramillo, 32, who was armed with a knife, chased two people into the Chick-fil-A on Boylston Street following a fight inside a neighboring Chipotle, a witness told police.
After seeing Jaramillo holding a knife, Boston Police Officer Jose Valenzuela, who was at the restaurant and did not know about the previous fight, identified himself as a police officer and told Jaramillo to drop his weapon. When he failed to comply, Officer Valenzuela shot Jaramillo three times in the chest and left shoulder, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office.
When Valenzuela brandished his weapon, the two people Jaramillo chased into the restaurant fled the scene, according to a police report.
An officer performed CPR on Jaramillo, who later died, Boston police said.
“At the time he was shot, Mr. Jaramillo had ignored commands to drop a knife and was attempting to stab a 17-year-old male he had chased into the restaurant in retaliation for a fight moments before,” Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden said in a press release. “Officer Valenzuela fired his off-duty handgun in a lawful use of force that was necessary to prevent Mr. Jaramillo from killing or seriously wounding the younger male or anyone else. Therefore, I have determined that criminal charges against the officer are not warranted.”
On Oct. 14, Governor Maura Healey presented Valenzuela with a Hanna Award for Bravery for his action during the 2025 incident at Chick-fil-A.
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