BOSTON, Oct. 13, 2016—Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley today delivered the following statement on the death of KIRK FIGUEROA during a gunfight with Boston Police responding to a domestic disturbance at his Gladstone Street residence last night:

“I’m deeply relieved that Officer Cintolo and Officer Morris are out of immediate danger and that no other bystanders or nearby residents were hurt.  I was in East Boston last night, and I know from the evidence at the scene that we’re extremely fortunate that there weren’t more casualties.

“As District Attorney, I have a special duty in cases like this that goes beyond what most DAs have nationwide.  Massachusetts law places the authority for all death investigations in Boston with my office, including those that arise from the use of force by police.

“When law enforcement officers use lethal force, we take extra care not only to ensure that our investigation is thorough, impartial, and independent, but also to help the public understand our findings.  Toward that end, and pursuant to my longstanding policy of transparency, I will release to Mr. Figueroa’s family and the media our entire investigative file once our probe is complete.  To my knowledge, no other DA’s office in the country affirmatively releases every report, every interview, every dispatch transmission, every map, chart and diagram, for independent review as we do.

“The scene on Gladstone Street is as complex as any in recent memory, and two of our most important witnesses are still hospitalized in critical condition.  Our job right now is to gather facts, not draw conclusions, and I’m mindful of my responsibility not to prejudge any aspect of what will be a methodical search for the facts and a reasoned application of the law.”

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