Stuart suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound and was taken to Baystate Medical Center. His condition was not available Thursday.
LUDLOW -- Springfield Police Commissioner William J. Fitchet, negotiating with a suicidal retired Springfield police officer in the woods behind his home Wednesday night, “bravely attempted to disarm” the man after he shot himself, police said.
Retired sergeant George Stuart, 71, was taken to Baystate Medical Center after the shooting. His condition was not immediately available Thursday morning
“If the subject survives his injuries, it is because of the commissioner’s brave actions,” a press release issued by the Ludlow Police Department reads.
The daylong standoff, which began with a mid-morning fire at Stuart’s 795 Center Street home, prompted a large-scale police response and the closing of roads on both sides of the large wooded area.
Guided by Lt. James Penniman, a state police negotiator, Fitchet and Ludlow Police Chief James J. McGowan negotiated with Stuart for approximately seven hours in an effort to diffuse the standoff.
Hampden District Attorney Mark Mastroianni said Wednesday night that the situation ended when Stuart, an expert marksman, fired at least two shots.
Both Fitchet and Mastroianni declined requests for interviews with The Republican Thursday morning. McGowan could not be reached for comment