D.A. concludes investigation into Springfield officer-involved shooting

SPRINGFIELD, MA (WGGB/WGGB) – Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni has released his final report into an officer-involved shooting that resulted in the death of a Springfield man.

On November 21, 2024, Springfield Police responded to the 100 block of Lyman Street for a report of an armed, intoxicated, and suicidal male. When officers arrived, they found Devin Lewis of Springfield had left a building with a rifle and a handgun. Payton North, spokesperson for the Hampden District Attorney’s Office, said, “Despite multiple commands from officers to drop the weapons, Mr. Lewis raised a firearm in the direction of officers and one toward the area of his own head. Two officers each discharged a single round in response to the imminent threat, and Mr. Lewis discharged his own weapon toward himself.”

The investigation by the D.A.’s office - which included reviewing witness statements, 911 calls, autopsy results, and bodycam video - determined that Lewis sustained three bullet wounds. One of them, which was fired from a Springfield Police officer’s department issued rifle, hit Lewis in the right hand. A second bullet, which was fired from a Springfield Police department issued gun by another officer, went into Lewis’s upper right shoulder area. The third bullet, fired by Lewis with his gun, entered under his chin and exited his forehead.

On Friday, following the conclusion of their investigation, Gulluni said that the actions taken by those two Springfield police officers were “reasonable, justified, and lawful.” He added in a statement, “This was an unfortunate and tragic situation…However, the facts clearly show that the officers involved responded to an immediate and lethal threat with necessary and proportionate force. Their actions were consistent with their training, department policy, and the law.”

North noted that the D.A.’s office was in communication with Lewis’s family throughout the investigation and the office met with the family shortly before the investigation’s findings were released to the public. “We are grateful for the family’s cooperation, candor, and patience during what has been an unimaginably difficult time for them,” Gulluni added.