An investigation has cleared law enforcement officers of any wrongdoing in the fatal shooting of a man outside the MGM Springfield casino earlier this year.
A warning, some of the audio in this report may be disturbing.
A Massachusetts State Trooper who fired 17 shots at an armed man, fatally wounding him on a deserted downtown street, acted lawfully and in self-defense, Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni announced Friday.
“The results are clear and based on credible and uncontroverted evidence,” he said.
Gulluni said the trooper did not open fire until after he and his partner were shot at by 48-year-old William Tisdol of Hartford, Connecticut.
“He had a duty to protect himself, he had a duty to protect his partner, and he had a duty to protect the public from Mr. Tisdol,” Gulluni said.
The prosecutor did not identify the trooper and his partner, who are members of the Massachusetts Gaming Enforcement Unit. He praised their “courage and professionalism” under harrowing circumstances.
“Criminal charges are not warranted and this investigation is closed,” Gulluni said.
A narrative of the incident by Gulluni said it began around 2 a.m. on February 25th inside the MGM casino where Tisdol got into an argument with another patron who later told security that Tisdol told him he had a gun and was going to shoot him.
The members of the Gaming Enforcement Unit saw Tisdol about a half-hour later outside the casino on Main Street walking south. As seen on body camera footage released at Friday’s press conference, Tisdol ignored commands to stop.
Tisdol was rushed to a hospital where he died from what Gulluni said was a single gunshot wound to the chest.
Gulluni said other officers arriving on the scene found a handgun on the sidewalk where Tisdol had been running.
“This weapon contained a 12-round magazine,” Gulluni said. “Eight unfired rounds were located in the magazine. Five 9mm shell casings were found on the sidewalk of Main Street. Massachusetts State Police ballisticians determined that they were fired from Mr. Tisdol’s firearm.”
Further investigation, Gulluni said, revealed there was an active warrant for Tisdol’s arrest in New York on firearms charges.
Tisdol’s family members have acknowledged he had a criminal past. They told media outlets he spend about a dozen years in prison for drug dealing.
Gulluni said he met with the family to brief them on the results of the investigation before the public announcement.
“I do want to respect the sanctity of that discussion, but I can say it was productive, calm, respectful and it ended with pleasant exchanges and my condolences,” Gulluni told reporters.
He said he also communicated his office’s findings to community leaders.
