Worcester Police Fatal Officer Involved Shooting

SUNDAY, JANUARY 23RD, 2022

By Jerry Filmore Jr. –

On Thursday night, just before 11 PM, Worcester Police received an emergency call from a man they have identified as Phet Gouvonvong who informed a police dispatcher that he had a rifle and a bomb that could go off.

As officers responded to the area of lower Grafton Street, the dispatcher initiated negotiations with Gouvonvong.

Upon arrival officers located Gouvonvong and according to Worcester District Attorney Joe Early, Jr., he was wearing body armor and appeared to be armed with an assault rifle and an explosive device with wires.

While Early could not confirm if the device Gouvonvong had was a bomb, he did say that “The negotiator, the dispatcher was on the phone with this man for an extended period of time, and he was telling us that this bomb could and would go off if things occurred to happen to him. But I can’t get into the negotiations. She kept him on the phone for a long time doing her job.”

Worcester Police SWAT responded to the area, negotiations continued over the phone and with negotiators at the scene but around 12:05 a.m., Early said Gouvonvong “got agitated,” made a move towards police and several shots were fired.

Gouvonvong was pronounced dead at the scene by EMS and the officer who fired the fatal shot, Lt. Sean Murtha, the PIO for the Worcester Police Department says that officer has been placed on administrative leave.

Lt. Murtha also said that there was a crowd gathered in the area and asked if anyone who has cellphone video of the incident can call Worcester police at 508-799-8651.