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Police Officers Kill Man, Find His Mother Stabbed To Death

Two police officers fatally shot an agitated man armed with at least one knife early Monday morning before finding his mother stabbed to death on the front steps of their home, authorities said.

Local media have reported that the man, identified by the Norfolk district attorney's office as 49-year-old Paul Campbell, once dated the girlfriend of Boston Mayor Martin Walsh and is the father of her daughter.

Walsh released a statement Monday requesting privacy for Lorrie Higgins and her daughter, Lauren. He did not directly mention Campbell.

"This is an extremely personal situation and I ask that Lorrie and Lauren's privacy be respected at this time," Walsh said in the statement. "This is an ongoing investigation and it is not my place to speculate on why or how this happened. My focus right now is on my family, Lorrie and Lauren, and their well-being."

Police and an ambulance crew were called shortly after 1 a.m. to a home in Weymouth, south of Boston, on a report of someone needing assistance and were confronted by Campbell, according to the Norfolk district attorney's office.

Both officers decided simultaneously that deadly force was necessary and opened fire on Campbell, who was brought to South Shore Hospital and pronounced dead, the prosecutor's office said in a statement.

Police and paramedics then found the body of Patricia Campbell, 72, on the front steps of the home she shared with her son, authorities said. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Officials said there was evidence that Patricia Campbell was stabbed. The medical examiner's office was to perform an autopsy.

Police and the prosecutor's office said the investigation is continuing.

"There is no such thing as a routine call," Weymouth Police Chief Richard Grimes said Monday. "Situations like this illustrate that."

The names of the two officers haven't been released. Officials said both were evaluated at a hospital and placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation, under normal post-shooting protocols. Officials said both officers have been on the force for about 10 years.

The district attorney's office said Weymouth police reported that they had responded to the Campbells' home three times in recent years, all for medical calls.

This article was originally published on January 19, 2015.

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