Inquest clears Cambridge police in fatal shooting

A judicial inquest has determined that no criminal charges are warranted in the fatal police shooting of man in Cambridge earlier this year.

Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan said that the inquest, by Judge John Coffey, found that Cambridge police officer Liam McMahon was justified in shooting at 20-year-old Sayed Arif Faisal on Jan. 4 in Cambridge. The inquest found that police pursued Faisal for about 10 minutes as Faisal was "cutting himself with a knife with a foot-long blade" and refused to engage with officers.

"Faisal was not subdued or seemingly affected by the less-lethal shot, and instead turned and walked directly toward Officer McMahon while holding the knife out towards him," the inquest said. "At the moment that Officer McMahon fired his weapon, a reasonable law enforcement officer in the same position would reasonably believe that he, along with his fellow officers and others, were in imminent danger of being seriously injured or killed."

During the three-day long inquest in May, more than two dozen people testified and 53 exhibits were introduced as evidence. District Attorney Ryan has closed the matter after accepting the findings of the Court.

“My condolences have been and remain with the family of Sayed Arif Faisal and those who continue to feel the profound pain of his passing," Ryan said in a press release.

The inquest was forwarded to the Cambridge Police Department.

In a press release, Cambridge police said the inquest "outlines how police officers can face incredibly complex" situations and the police department "remains committed to thorough introspection, learning and growth."

“No officer ever wants to be put in the position where they have to use fatal force, and if it happens it stays with each of us forever,” Cambridge Police Commissioner Christine Elow said in the release. “This tragedy has impacted our entire department.”

Dozens of people protested after the shooting, urging the city to release the names of the officers involved and change the way officers respond to behaviorial health crises.

“The findings of the court are deeply frustrating but not surprising,” Fatema Ahmad with the Muslim Justice League said in an emailed statement. “Regardless of their decision, the community knows that Sayed Arif Faisal deserved support and should be with us today. We are sending so much love to his family and hope everyone can give them space to process this difficult news.”

In 2018, District Attorney Ryan began requesting a judicial inquest in every police officer-involved death. After an inquest in 2020, Reading police Officer Erik Drauschke was charged with manslaughter for the fatal shooting of 43-year-old Alan Greenough. Drauschke was acquitted of the charges last year. He was believed to be the first Massachusetts police officer charged with an on-duty killing in three decades.