DA: Tewksbury Police Officers Justified in Use of Deadly Force Against Medford Man

– Allison Goldsberry

Two Tewksbury Police detectives were justified in their “use of deadly force” against a Medford man accused of stabbing two others in February, according to a statement released by Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan.

Sparks, 30, was a suspect in the stabbing of two people at the Salter School on the morning of February 17. When police responded to the scene they say Sparks, armed with what was later determined to be a BB gun, refused police orders to drop the gun. According to DA Ryan, the gun lacked an orange tip and was charged and loaded when recovered following the incident.

The investigation into the officer-involved shooting included interviews with witnesses and responding officers, examination of evidence and ballistics, and a review of radio transmissions, police reports, and the medical examiner’s findings.