Cambridge Police Officer Justified in Fatal Shooting of Sayed Faisal, Inquest Finds

by Patrick Wilson

Friday, October 6th, 2023

On October 5, 2023, the Middlesex County District Attorney’s office released the report from the independent investigation into the fatal police shooting of Sayed Faisal. The report concluded that the officer who shot Faisal was justified in using deadly force.

The report states that Faisal was armed with a kukri, a foot-long sword, when he was shot. He approached responding officers with the sword and failed to comply with their commands to drop the weapon. After a less-lethal sponge round failed to stop Faisal, an officer shot him.

The report also found that the officer who shot Faisal was not aware of Faisal’s mental health history at the time of the shooting. Faisal’s family has said that he had bipolar disorder and that he was experiencing a manic episode at the time of his death.

The release of the inquest report has been met with mixed reactions. Some people believe that the report does not take into account Faisal’s mental health and that the officer could have done more to de-escalate the situation.

The family of Sayed Faisal has said that they are disappointed with the findings of the inquest report and that they plan to file a lawsuit against the Cambridge Police Department.

** This piece was created with the help of ai.