District Attorney: Fatal police shooting of 20-year-old Massachusetts man ruled justified

WOBURN – Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan has announced that, following an inquest, Judge John Coffey has issued a Report regarding the death of 20-year-old Sayed Arif Faisal. Faisal died after being shot by Cambridge Police Officer Liam McMahon on January 4, 2023, in Cambridge. The inquest was conducted between May 22-25, 2023. The Court heard sworn testimony from 29 witnesses, received 53 exhibits into evidence and conducted an in-person viewing of the scene. In his Report, Judge Coffey found that:

“…Officer McMahon’s decision to fire his weapon was objectively reasonable, within the meaning of [Graham v. Connor, 490 U.S. 386, 396-397 (1989)]. Officers had been pursuing Faisal through Cambridge streets for approximately ten minutes, during which time Faisal was cutting himself with a knife with a foot-long blade. Faisal never responded to the officers’ commands to stop and drop the knife, and Faisal refused to engage with any of the officers’ attempts to communicate with him. Faisal was not subdued or seemingly affected by the less-lethal shot, and instead turned and walked directly toward Officer McMahon while holding the knife out towards him. At the moment that Officer McMahon fired his weapon, a reasonable law enforcement officer in the same position would reasonably believe that he, along with his fellow officers and others, were in imminent danger of being seriously injured or killed.

Therefore, the Court finds that the fatal shooting of Sayed Faisal on January 4, 2023, was justified and does not constitute a criminal act.”

District Attorney Ryan has accepted the findings of the Court and has subsequently filed a certificate in the Superior Court which closes this matter.

District Attorney Ryan’s Office has also forwarded the Report to the Cambridge Police Department for whatever internal review and action the Department may deem appropriate.

District Attorney Ryan stated, “My condolences have been and remain with the family of Sayed Arif Faisal and those who continue to feel the profound pain of his passing.”

In the past, police officer-involved deaths that occurred within Middlesex County were investigated internally by the District Attorney’s Office. However, in December, 2018, District Attorney Ryan decided, after much consideration, to replace that policy with a practice of requesting a judicial inquest in every police officer-involved death. In her view, this practice is appropriate given the particularly sensitive nature of these tragic events.

Those who knew Faisal had stated that he was never running towards police or engaged with police and organized a protest at Cambridge City Hall.

A friend described Faisal as a bright, young, and energetic guy.

“He was a bright, hardworking and studious young man who worked at CVS while pursuing his bachelor’s degree in engineering.”