Boston Marathon Hero-Cop Shot, 'Fighting for Life'

John Moynihan was shot 'point-blank' in face during a traffic stop
By Kate Seamons,  Newser Staff
Suggested by Minkey
Posted Mar 29, 2015 8:25 AM CDT
Boston Marathon Hero-Cop Shot, 'Fighting for Life'
This undated photo released by the Boston Police Department's official Twitter account Saturday, March 28, 2015, shows Officer John Moynihan, 34.   (AP Photo/Boston Police Department)

In the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombing, Officer John Moynihan helped save a life. Now he's fighting for his own after being shot "point-blank right in the face," says Boston Police Commissioner William Evans. Police say a traffic stop in Roxbury spiraled darkly on Friday night: After reports of shots being fired, the Boston Globe reports that six gang unit officers stopped a Nissan Murano around 6:40pm to speak with the driver and two passengers, all male. "You just clearly see the driver come out ... and his hand's going up as he comes out," says Evans of the "unprovoked" shooting. Moynihan was shot below his right eye, with the bullet lodging behind his right ear. Suspect Angelo West, 41, was killed after police returned fire. Moynihan is currently in a medically induced coma and listed as in critical condition.

"They worried about bleeding in and around his brain ... and want to see how he's progressing before they make any determination of whether to have surgery," says Evans per CNN. The "highly decorated" former Army Ranger's list of accomplishments is a long one considering his 34 years: In addition to being "active" at the finish line after the Boston Marathon bombs went off, he helped save Richard Donohue Jr., the officer who lost all his blood after his femoral vein was severed during an exchange of fire with Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. He's racked up eight commissioner’s commendations in his six years on the force, and was in May awarded a Top Cop Award at the White House. CNN reports his girlfriend and family are by his side. As for West, he only recently ended probation tied to shots he fired at police in 2001. It's the first shooting of a Boston police officer since Dec. 7, 2013, notes the Globe. (More Boston stories.)

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