A Massachusetts police officer suspected in the shooting of a fellow officer was found dead in what appeared to be a suicide, police said Friday night. Investigators stated that an off-duty sergeant from the nearby town of Hamilton was the suspect in the shooting of Beverly Police Officer Jason Lantych outside a Starbucks coffee shop at a strip mall. The suspected gunman was identified as Sgt. Kenneth Nagy, who allegedly fled the scene in a black SUV. Witnesses told police they heard multiple gunshots just before Lantych stumbled into the Starbucks around 6 p.m., bleeding from a wound in his groin area. Customers immediately came to his aid. "He was shot in the groin area," one man told ABC News affiliate WCVB. "We elevated his leg and applied pressure, and I told my friend to apply pressure; we managed to slow down the bleeding a little bit."
Lantych was rushed to the hospital and underwent surgery Friday night. Police informed WCVB that he was listed in critical condition. Meanwhile, investigators identified Nagy as the prime suspect in the shooting. A warrant for his arrest was issued, and a statewide manhunt was launched. Essex County District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett warned the public during a press conference Friday night that Nagy was armed and dangerous. "We believe he shot him, and we need the public's assistance. If you see him, give us information, but do not approach him," Blodgett said.
Nagy had been on the run for a few hours after the initial shooting, but reports indicate that about 15 minutes after the district attorney’s plea, the search ended. Nagy pulled into a parking lot on the opposite side of the building where the chaos began. Blodgett told WCVB that state troopers and Beverly police officers cordoned off the area. Investigators did not immediately notice Nagy leaning back in the driver’s seat. They searched the parking lots and the railroad tracks before approaching the vehicle. As officers moved toward Nagy’s SUV, he fatally shot himself.
Investigators have not disclosed whether a motive for the shooting has been established, but Blodgett told WCVB that the two officers knew each other. A report from the Hamilton-Wenham Chronicle indicates that Nagy was promoted to the rank of sergeant last July. A picture shows his wife, Katie, placing an honorary pin on her husband. Other photos show the couple smiling with their two young children, Gavin and Griffin.
The Massachusetts State Police told ABC News that they will not make any further comments on the case and that it is being handled by the Essex County District Attorney’s Office. ABC News attempted to reach the DA’s office but has not received any response.