Local News
The man was fatally shot outside his home in Lexington after he allegedly approached police while armed with a knife.
April 19, 2026 | 8:43 AM
1 minute to read
Police shot and killed a 26-year-old man Saturday after he allegedly approached them with a knife outside his Lexington home, prosecutors said.
Just after 1:30 p.m., officers responded to a 911 call at a Mason Street home after a resident reported that their son had injured himself with a knife, the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office said in a statement. Lexington police arrived at the scene first, followed by members of the Northeast Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council (NEMLEC).
NEMLEC is a regional association of 68 police departments and two County Sheriff’s departments across Middlesex and Essex counties. Members of the organization were in town Saturday for Patriots’ Day events, according to prosecutors.
Two other residents were escorted out of the home, leaving the 26-year-old man inside alone. Soon after, he allegedly came outside with a large kitchen knife and “advanced on officers,” according to the DA’s office.
Law enforcement said they first used “less lethal force,” but it was not effective, prosecutors said. The man allegedly continued to advance, and a Wilmington police officer assigned to NEMLEC then fatally shot him, according to officials.
The man died on the scene, and the officer who shot him was taken to a nearby hospital “as a precaution,” the DA’s office said. The identity of the man killed has not yet been released, and his family has requested privacy from prosecutors.
Massachusetts State Police and the DA’s office are currently investigating the officer-involved shooting. The DA’s office said it will request an inquest to determine whether the Wilmington officer was criminally responsible for the man’s death.
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