Bank robbery suspect shot in Everett

EVERETT, Mass. -- Police shot a bank robbery suspect in Everett on Tuesday.

The man allegedly went in to rob the Everett Co-Operative Bank, which is in a busy section of Everett. Officers then chased the suspect. It is unclear if the suspect stole any money from the bank.

"I had seen some kid running down the street and they said, ‘Which way did he go? Which way did he go?  So I said, ‘He took a right into the parking lot.' The cop ran after him into the parking lot and a few seconds later I heard pop, pop,'" said Robert Scott, a witness.

Police said the suspect was carrying a knife and lunged toward an officer before being shot in the backyard of a home on Tufts Avenue.

"He lunged at the officer with a knife, and the officer defended himself by returning gunfire at the suspect," said Everett Police Chief Steven Mazzie.

The suspect was shot in the upper torso, and homeowner Alfonso Salemi, who heard two gunshots, came running out his back door.

"Police say 'Stay inside.' That's all they told me...it's not good. In the back of my yard," said Salemi.

Investigators used a metal detector to look for shell casings in the yard. The officer's gun and holster were taken into evidence.

Everett's Mayor called this a sad sign of the times.

"There are desperate people out there, and this person seemed like he was a desperate person robbing a bank" said Mayor Carlo Demaria

Police said the suspect robbed that bank just before noon, then tried to catch a cab and instead, took off on foot, leaving behind a slew of debris.

The name of the suspect has not been released, but officers said he is in critical, but stable condition.

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