Shots Fired At MIT, Officer Killed, Gunshots, Explosions In Watertown, MA (As It Unfolded)
(ALL UPDATES BELOW ORIGINAL POST) Police responded earlier tonight to shots fired at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. MIT is updating students with campus-wide alerts about an “active shooter incident” near Vassar and Main Streets warning students to stay clear of Building 32 (the Stata Center) and is now confirming that injuries have been reported.
However, MIT newspaper The Tech and CBS News reporter Bonney Kapp have tweeted that there is an MIT officer down on campus. Kapp said he heard over the Boston PD scanner. WCVB Boston is reporting that the officer has sustained life-threatening injuries. The Massachusetts State Police are on the scene assisting Cambridge and MIT police with their investigation.
A manhunt is currently underway for the shooter, and according to CNN, police are saying the situation is “considered active and extremely dangerous.”
Here are the tweets so far from The Tech:
The Tech also posted this graphic photo of the scene.
UPDATE: Multiple news sources are now saying Massachusetts State Police has confirmed the MIT officer has died.
UPDATE
Watch the report below from WCVB-Boston confirming officers death:
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(Watch Initial reporting of the shooting below:)
Watch the report from WCVB-Boston below:
Watch the report from WHDH-Boston below:
UPDATE: Cambridge Police just tweeted a report of a suspicious package found near the campus.
UPDATE: Cambridge PD now walking that back.
UPDATE: The Tech now has a story with more information about the shooting, including that the weapon has been recovered, and the following information on how campus police were alerted to the situation.
A postdoctoral student working in Building 76 called the MIT Police to report loud sounds, possibly gunshots. The injured officer was found at 10:31 p.m. and was transported to Massachusetts General Hospital.
BIG UPDATE: People listening to police scanner saying there was shootout in the neighboring town of Watertown. There was a reported carjacking, police followed the car to Watertown, and the person in the car reportedly threw grenades at police.
Reporter Adam Williams from WHDH has reported multiple gunshots and confirmed that the police tracked the shooting suspects to Watertown. Watch the video here:
UPDATE: There are now reports one suspect is in custody.
UPDATE: Police are asking people to turn off their cell phones because of possibly additional explosive devices, per WCVB.
UPDATE: WHDH showed video of a suspect on the ground earlier, but WCVB confirmed that the suspect was released.
UPDATE: WCVB has this interview with an eyewitness in Watertown.
WCVB has also obtained video of the police firefight.
UPDATE: Boston Globe Metro Editor Jennifer Peter tweets that police currently have an individual believed to be a Boston Marathon bombing suspect in custody, and Boston.com currently features a banner reading that one marathon bombing suspect is in custody.
The FBI released new photos of the two marathon bombers at 2 AM, so if the Globe‘s reporting is accurate, the two men IDed here are connected to this MIT/Watertown shooting-firefight.
Meanwhile, back at MIT, where this whole thing started, the most recent emergency alert sent out says that campus police have determined the shooting suspect is off-campus and it is now safe to resume normal activities.
UPDATE: NBC News’ Pete Williams said on MSNBC that there is “ample reason” to think tonight’s events are connected to the Boston Marathon bombings, citing information that a pressure cooker (the same type as the devices used at the marathon) was found on the scene in Watertown.
CNN also caught video of a naked man, one of the reported suspects, being escorted into a police vehicle.
UPDATE: Jennifer Peter also tweeting that a transit officer for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority is at a local hospital being treated for gunshot wounds, in connection with the events in Watertown.
UPDATE: At approximately 4:00 AM, this was sent out from the Twitter account of the Boston police commissioner.
And the Boston Police sent out an image of someone believed to be one of the suspects.
UPDATE @ 5:09 A.M.: At roughly 4:17 A.M., Boston police held a press conference updating the public on information surrounding the case. Biggest news was the police saying one of tonight’s suspects they are searching for may be one of the Boston Marathon bombing suspects, while the other bombing suspect may be dead. Here’s video of the presser:
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