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Decorated Boston Police Officer in Coma After 'Unprovoked' Shooting

Officer John Moynihan, 34, was shot Friday night at a motor vehicle stop. He is a six-year veteran of the Boston Police Department.
Boston Police Department

March 28, 2015, 3:39 PM

 -- A police officer decorated for his role in the Boston Marathon bombing remains in critical condition in a medically induced coma after he was shot in the face during a traffic stop, the city's police commissioner said today.

Boston Police Commissioner William Evans called the shooting of Officer John Moynihan on Friday night "unprovoked." He and five other officers had pulled over a driver in Roxbury, Massachusetts, when the driver began firing at the officers, according to police.

The officers hadn't drawn their guns when the driver began shooting, said Evans. As the officers chased after him, the driver continued to fire, emptying his revolver as he ran.

The officers later shot the driver, who died on scene, police said. Evans identified him as Angelo West, 41, adding that he had a violent criminal past.

"No one had any indication of what might happen," said the police commissioner. "He shot the officer point blank in the face."

The suspect, identified as 41-year-old Angelo West, died at the scene, police said.

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Moynihan, 34, was shot under his eye and the bullet became lodged behind his ear, Evans said.

A woman who had been driving near the shootout was also shot, police said. She was hospitalized with a non life-threatening gunshot wound.

Evans said video shows the officers approaching the vehicle very "low key." The video then shows the suspect pointing his gun at the officers' faces.

Police hoped to release the video soon for the department to be "as transparent as possible" in its investigation, Evans said.

"I can't say enough about the great work we did out there," he added.

Two other suspects were in custody "on unrelated matters," police said.

A Boston police officer was shot during a motor vehicle stop in Roxbury on March 27, 2015.

Moynihan, a six-year veteran of the Boston Police Department, was one of seven officers who came to the aid of MBTA Officer Richard "Dic" Donohue during the Watertown, Massachusetts, shootout with the Tsarnaev brothers in 2013 shortly after the Boston Marathon bombing. He was honored at the "Top Cops" ceremony at the White House in 2014.

After Friday's shooting, Donohue tweeted his best wishes for Moynihan.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.