A Boston police officer is recovering in the hospital Tuesday morning after being shot in the city's Dorchester neighborhood, and the man suspected of trying to kill him will remain behind bars for the time being.
Avery Lewis, a 31-year-old from Dorchester, faces 10 charges, including unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful possession of a large capacity feeding device, armed assault to murder, assault and battery on a police officer and resisting arrest.
Lewis was ordered held without bail during a hearing Tuesday in Dorchester District Court, at which a not guilty plea was entered on his behalf. He'll be back for another hearing March 29.
More than a dozen police officers were in court for the hearing.
According to court documents, Lewis has two prior criminal cases out of Dorchester District Court, including an armed robbery in December of 2009 and a drug arrest from November of 2017. He was also arrested on drug charges in Webster and in Dudley in March of 2017. The police report from the Dudley arrest includes allegation that he hid an amount of crack cocaine in a small infant's chair in his apartment.
Boston police said Monday's incident began when they received a call shortly after 9:30 p.m. reporting a man with a gun in the area of Esmond Street. When officers arrived on scene and approached the gunman, they said he fired at least one shot, hitting one of the officers in the chest.
The officer, who was wearing a bulletproof vest, was taken to Boston Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries, police said. The other officers on scene were able to arrest the gunman without any other injuries.
How the Boston officer's shooting played out, according to authorities
In court, a prosecutor said the incident began with a domestic call, a woman saying her baby's father was outside the house and possibly armed.
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When officers arrived, they chased after the man, but when they tried taking him into custody, a gun fired into the officer's chest, the prosecutor said. Lewis allegedly had a gun, with a spent bullet casing stuck in its ejector, and a bag of what's believed to be more than 2 oz. of cocaine.
The mayor, district attorney and police commissioner were all able to visit the officer struck by that bullet in the hospital Monday night. They said it's just incredible that he wasn’t more seriously hurt considering how volatile the situation was.
The gunshot rang out as the officer grabbed Lewis, who'd been running from officers with a hand pinned to his waistline, according to the criminal complaint that police filed. The officer still managed to tackle Lewis and it took over a minute for officers to place him under arrest, all while ignoring commands to let the gun go.
The officer only noticed he'd been hit, on his left side, and another officer noticed his department-issued bulletproof vest was damaged, according to the complaint, prompting him to be rushed to Boston Medical Center. The gun was a semi-automatic.
Officials are not yet identifying the injured officer but did say he's young and newer to the force.
"He's not been on the job very long, less than two years, about two years, but he's doing well and that's the important thing. He followed his training and another heroic officer, showing restraint and doing everything we can to protect the public and I'm just deeply proud and thankful that he's not hurt, and no officers are hurt," Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox said.
"Tonight is yet another reminder of all that our officers and their families put on the line to serve our city," Mayor Michelle Wu added.
