Mark Murray, City Marshal
4 Green St.
Newburyport, MA 01950
For Immediate Release
Thursday, Nov. 5, 2015
Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Newburyport Police Successful Resolve Incident Involving Man Who Wished to Harm Himself with Firearm
NEWBURYPORT — City Marshal Mark Murray is today praising the work of Newburyport Police Officers in successfully talking down a suicidal male on Plum Island late last night.
Shortly before 10 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 4, Newburyport Police Officers were dispatched to Rawson Avenue to perform a welfare check on MITCHELL OMEARA, AGE 53, OF NEWBURYPORT after receiving a call from someone who was concerned OMEARA was armed with a firearm and could try to harm himself.
Officers traced OMEARA to Plum Island Point via his cell phone. Responding Officer John Schmidt observed OMEARA sitting in the driver’s seat of his vehicle holding a loaded revolver in his hand with his finger on the trigger.
Upon making eye contact with OMEARA, Officer Schmidt retreated to cover and called for back-up. As Officer Schmidt retreated, OMEARA fired a single shot from the firearm.
After repeated failed attempts asking OMEARA to place the firearm on the dashboard of his vehicle and put his hands in the air, Officer Schmidt took up a position inside a nearby residence so he could get a clear view of OMEARA inside his vehicle. Additional responding units tried unsuccessfully to get OMEARA to put his firearm down and exit the vehicle.
Sergeant David Segwick from the Rowley Police Department arrived on scene as a negotiator, along with officers from the Massachusetts State Police S.T.O.P. Team.
After unsuccessful negotiations with OMEARA, Sgt. Sedgwick called OMEARA on his cell phone and was able to convince him to unload his firearm, discard it out the driver’s side window, and exit the vehicle.
OMEARA was taken into custody without incident and transported to the Newburyport Police Station for booking. He was later transported to Anna Jacques Hospital for evaluation. He was soon released from the hospital and returned to the Newburyport Police Station where he was held pending his arraignment at Newburyport District Court.
OMEARA has been charged with:
- Disorderly conduct
- Discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a building
“The strong police work and restraint exhibited by well-trained police officers last night prevented this situation from escalating to a deadly incident,” Marshal Murray said. “We are thankful that this situation ultimately ended peacefully, and we are very proud of our teamwork with our neighboring agencies and the State Police, which helped ensure a peaceful conclusion to this incident.”
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