Advertisement

Ex-trooper indicted for kicking handcuffed suspect in head

A former Massachusetts State Police trooper was indicted Thursday for kicking a handcuffed suspect in the head during a motor vehicle stop in Boston in 2019, state Attorney General Maura Healey's office said.

A grand jury in Suffolk County indicted Paul Conneely, a 51 year-old Boston resident, on a single count of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.

Prosecutors say Conneely was involved in a motor vehicle stop of an alleged stolen car on Interstate 93 on Feb. 22, 2019.

They say Conneely’s car and the alleged stolen vehicle crashed into one another during the incident. Conneely and the other responding officers removed four individuals from the vehicle and Conneely assisted in handcuffing the driver.

Prosecutors say video surveillance from the incident shows the driver exited the vehicle with his hands raised, laid down on the ground, and put his hands behind his back.

But as the suspect was handcuffed and lying face down, Healey’s office said Conneely kicked him in the back of the head with his police-issued boots.

Conneely's lawyer didn't respond to an email seeking comment. He’s due to be arraigned in Suffolk Superior Court in Boston on Oct. 29.

In February 2020 in Brookline, Conneelly and five Boston police officers fired 31 shots at Juston Root, killing him. The officers said they saw Root with a gun, which turned out to be fake.

The Norfolk County District Attorney's office investigated and ruled that the officers did nothing criminally wrong.

Root's family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the officers.

Related:

Advertisement

More from WBUR

Listen Live
Close