Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley today delivered the following remarks on the death of KELLY PASTRANA (D.O.B. 2/8/79) in Chelsea:

“Good afternoon.  I’m Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley and with me are Chief Brian Kyes, Captain Keith Houghton, and Captain David Batchelor of the Chelsea Police department and Chief Len Albanese of the Chelsea Fire Department.

“The individual involved in last night’s gunfight and house fire has been identified as 38-year-old Kelly Pastrana of Chelsea. 

“The facts as we understand them strongly suggest that this was a case of domestic violence.  It escalated to an armed assault on the female victim, a young child, and responding police officers – two of whom, we believe, also discharged their firearms in the course of the event.

“After the initial domestic assaults, evidence suggests that Mr. Pastrana deliberately set a fire inside the home, where he was found dead early this morning.  A short time ago, state pathologists ruled his death the result of a gunshot wound to the abdomen with thermal injuries from the fire. 

“As with any death that involves police activity, senior homicide prosecutors from my office are leading a full, fair, and thorough independent investigation to determine exactly what took place and whether criminal charges are warranted.  They will work with State Police detectives assigned to my office, with the assistance of specialized State Police units, the State Fire Marshal’s office, and Chelsea Police detectives.

“This is a standard procedural step and we have drawn no final conclusions at this early stage.  We will not do so until all the evidence is in and all the facts are known.  At that point, we will make all our findings public. As part of our unparalleled policy of transparency in these cases, we will release the entire investigative file to Mr. Pastrana’s family and the news media.

“The preliminary evidence suggests that Mr. Pastrana had assaulted the adult female victim prior to the first police response at about 9:18 pm.  He allegedly chased her and a young child out of the home and discharged a handgun at a nearby location where they had sought help.  No one was struck by that gunfire.

“Mr. Pastrana then returned to his home, where he encountered a responding Chelsea Police officer outside and additional shots were fired.  We believe Mr. Pastrana entered the residence and discharged his weapon through a window in the direction of officers.  At least one officer also discharged a firearm.

“Police negotiators attempted to make contact with Mr. Pastrana.  Those efforts were unsuccessful.  Instead, the early evidence suggests, he set a fire inside that went on to engulf the building and adjacent houses. Chelsea firefighters with the help of neighboring departments extinguished the blaze only after extensive efforts over several hours.  Investigators were able to enter the home shortly after 2:00 this morning and found Mr. Pastrana deceased.

“Domestic violence calls are among the most volatile that police officers answer.  This one involved an assailant armed with a loaded handgun – and while neither the adult victim nor the young child suffered physical injury, they underwent a terrifying and traumatic ordeal.  I ask that you keep them in your thoughts and respect their privacy.

“I’d now like to ask Chief Kyes to say a few words.”

Conley urged the victims of any crime, including domestic violence, to call 911 in an emergency. SafeLink, a statewide DV hotline, can be reached at 877-785-2020. SafeLink is answered by trained advocates 24 hours a day in English, Spanish, and Portuguese, as well as TTY at 877-521-2601. It also has the capacity to provide multilingual translation in more than 140 languages.

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All defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.