WORCESTER—The head of Worcester’s police patrolmen’s union says a judge’s decision to find a man not guilty by reason of insanity in a 2023 shooting that injured two family members and led to a 13-hour standoff with police is “completely unacceptable.”
In a statement sent to the Worcester Guardian, Local 911 President Thomas B. Duffy II criticized Friday’s verdict in the case of 26-year-old Caleb Boateng, calling the outcome and the possibility of his release “deeply troubling and outrageous.”
“As a result of this verdict, Boateng volunteered to go into a mental health facility for four months, and there exists a high probability he may be released after that alarmingly short commitment,” Duffy wrote. “The fact that he could be released right back into our community after a paltry 28 months should shock the collective conscience of all residents of our city.”
Duffy’s letter recounted the July 7, 2023, incident, in which Boateng shot his mother and brother multiple times, then allegedly lured officers into a trap by pretending to surrender before opening fire. What followed, Duffy said, was “a 13-hour long dangerous standoff, with Boateng firing bullets at our police officers throughout.”
While acknowledging the need to treat individuals with mental health diagnoses and the work officers do daily to de-escalate crises, Duffy argued that the court failed to account for the “level of planning” involved in the case. “This individual sought and obtained an illegal firearm prior to the day of this incident, clearly suggesting that he was planning to commit an act of violence for some time, something the court’s ruling seems to ignore,” he wrote.
The Worcester Telegram & Gazette reported that Judge William J. Ritter issued the verdict after a two-day bench trial in Worcester Superior Court. Boateng, diagnosed with schizophrenia, was found not guilty by reason of insanity in the shootings of his mother and brother, both of whom survived. He was also accused of firing at officers and punching a police dog during the standoff.
Boateng has been in custody since his arrest, first at Bridgewater State Hospital and later at the Worcester County Jail and House of Correction. Under the ruling, he will undergo a 40-day evaluation at Bridgewater, after which he could be released if clinicians and the court determine he is no longer mentally ill or dangerous.
Duffy called on local and state policymakers to review the case and “do all that is necessary to swiftly make appropriate changes” to state law governing such rulings.
“Where is the oversight? Who will ensure this individual continues to receive treatment, remains under the strict care of doctors, and complies with medications necessary to avoid a repeat of his attempt to murder his family and our officers?” he wrote. “The safety of the public and law enforcement must come first.”
