No one answered the telephone at the shop Tuesday. Indulge! has been a fixture in Newton Highlands since owner Linda Gulman opened the candy shop in 1991. “Our hearts go out to the family of the young man that was lost,” she said. No one deserved to be killed like that.At the news conference, Mayor Ruthanne Fuller of Newton offered condolences to the man’s family. “He was a nice guy, but he had issues,” Ferrera said. Not long after, he saw Conlon taken out on a stretcher.įerrera said Conlon was a big, genial guy - more than 6 feet tall, and about 280 pounds - who talked of a mother and a brother. He saw one officer, then another, follow him up through the doorway. He said he saw the commotion leading up to the shooting, and watched Conlon flee through the doorway of the building across the street. The incident caused alarm in Newton, where community activists have been pushing for police reforms, including how officers respond to calls in which mental illness is a factor.įrank Ferrera, 56, who owns Angelo’s barbershop on Lincoln Street, said he used to cut Conlon’s hair. State Police have not fully implemented a body camera program, and none of the troopers at the scene was wearing a camera. Newton police officers are not required to wear body cameras. Ryan said the incident is under investigation. Their names and the number of shots they fired, the number of times the man was struck by gunfire, and where the bullets hit him were not immediately disclosed by officials. She said that Conlon then advanced with the knife, and that two Newton police officers fired their service weapons. “Both of those uses of nonlethal force were unsuccessful in subduing the suspect,” Ryan said. Newton police fired a beanbag via a shotgun, and a State Police trooper used a Taser on the man, officials said. A woman inside one of the apartments allowed officers to use her apartment and interact with Conlon from a distance, Ryan said.Ĭonlon refused to drop the knife, and grabbed a fire extinguisher, according to Ryan. The officers, joined by two State Police troopers, followed. A mental health clinician arrived on the scene, but did not enter the building due to safety concerns, authorities said.Ĭonlon then allegedly fled to the third floor, where there are two other apartments. He allegedly flashed the knife in the hallway.Īdditional officers were called, as well as a crisis negotiator. Ryan’s office provided the following account of what occurred next: Two Newton police officers - one in plainclothes and one in uniform - followed Conlon to the second floor of the building, where his apartment is located. “They’re here, they’re here, they’re here,” she said, a sigh of relief. Gulman can be heard coaxing the man to leave, before telling the 911 dispatcher that police officer had arrived and Conlon ran upstairs toward his apartment. “Please come with me and talk to my neighbor.” But I will go ape if I am not put in contact with the right people,” he says. “I will only murder if someone hurts my family. “I wanted to get you to come … I need you right now.” “I’m not going to hurt you, I promise,” he said. Please tell me what’s going on.”Ĭonlon implored Gulman to follow him. “Can you please put the knife away,” Gulman can be heard pleading with him on the 911 call. The 911 dispatcher interpreted the incident as an active robbery, Ryan’s office said. The owner, Linda Gulman, called 911 and pretended she was on the phone with UPS. Conlon had a knife and pleaded with the owner to escort him to the third floor, and help him confront a neighbor, authorities said. Police said the incident began when Conlon entered the Indulge! candy store, which is located below his apartment on a small but vibrant Newton Highlands shopping strip. Conlon was taken to Newton Wellesley Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Conlon then approached officers with a knife and fire extinguisher, and they responded with gunfire, according to Ryan. Amid negotiations, officers fired a nonlethal beanbag at Conlon, and struck him with a Taser, authorities said.
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