BOSTON (WHDH) – A former Massachusetts State Police trooper accused of shooting an ATV rider in Boston in 2018 appeared in court Thursday for closing arguments in his trial.
In February 2018, Matthew Sheehan was one of several troopers who responded when a large group of ATVs, motorcycles, and dirt bikes were driving erratically on Interstate 93 in Boston. Sheehan fired his police-authorized weapon, hitting and injuring ATV rider Aderito Monteiro.
Sheehan is now charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, and a jury must decide if Sheehan’s actions were justified. The trial began Friday.
Robert Sheketoff, Sheehan’s defense attorney, told jurors that the incident was a case of self defense.
“Let’s get to the real issue in the case. Did he shoot at him because he thought he was going to get run over by that ATV?” Sheketoff said.
He described the scene as loud and chaotic and said his client had just seconds to decide how to react.
“From my client’s point of view, what does it mean that somebody continues to drive at him in a vehicle that weighs hundreds of pounds?” Sheketoff said.
However, prosecutor John Verner pointed to the fact that Sheehan hit Monteiro’s foot and the ATV’s wheel.
“If he truly had the requisite fear, he would have relied on his training, he would have shot center mass — at the breast bone — and he would have killed Aderito Monteiro,” Verner said.
Verner claimed the former trooper had 23 seconds to think the situation through.
“Was it necessary? Was it reasonable? Or was it reckless and dangerous?” TK said.
As of 4:30 p.m. Thursday, the jury was deliberating.
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