Newton Group Holds Vigil To Remember Man Fatally Shot By Police

NEWTON, MA — About a dozen people gathered Monday in Newton Highlands to remember Michael Conlon down the street where he was fatally shot by police three months ago during a mental health crisis.

On the three-month anniversary of his death, members of Defund NPD, an advocacy group working to reduce the footprint of policing in Newton sponsored the vigil.

"This vigil is not a protest or political statement, but a memorial for an important and beloved life lost," Defund NPD said leading up to the vigil.

Brief words and a moment of silence took place at the Hyde Center field, after which the group walked to the place where Conlon both lived and lost his life. Those in attendance left flowers and flameless candles on the bench in front of the store before departing, according to organizers.

Newton police officers fatally shot the 28-year-old man who flashed a knife in a candy shop in Newton Highlands. Police reportedly called for a mental health clinician to the apartment where Conlon ran when police arrived, but determined the scene was too dangerous for them to talk.

Friends of Conlon described him as a caring, "gentle giant" trying to work through his mental health issues. That shooting, which is still under investigation, caused an outcry in Newton and renewed calls for police reform.

According to the Newton Police, four police staff are on leave amid the investigation.

The city last month formed a community crisis intervention team and has discussed not having police respond to calls where there may be a mental health crisis.

Still, generally, there has been no guide for departments to follow on how to handle mental-health crisis incidents until recently.

Police training in Newton has focused on de-escalation and trying to help by getting people who need it to a hospital to receive treatment.

"Police are in difficult, complex situations where there's certainly a threat to police safety and citizen safety," Interim Police Chief Howard Mintz said previously.

Police say fatal shootings like the Newton Highlands one, are rare. In Newton, the last fatal police shooting was in 1973, Wicked Local reported.