A man was shot and hospitalized in a life-threatening condition after assaulting someone taking part in a pro-Israel demonstration outside Boston on Thursday, authorities said.
Video of the incident circulating online showed the man charging across a street and tackling a demonstrator to the ground following a verbal altercation, with the tackled man then appearing to fire a single shot from a pistol, in the latest case of disagreements over the war in Gaza sparking violence on an American street.
Police arrested the gunman, identified as 47-year-old Framingham resident Scott Hayes, and charged him with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and violation of a constitutional right causing injury. He is scheduled to be arraigned in the district court on Friday, Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan said.
Ryan said at a news conference late Thursday that the man who had been shot was, at the time of the rally, “apparently completely randomly walking down the other side of the street,” and that he then exchanged words with those attending the rally.
In a video from the scene, an unidentified man wearing a Palestinian flag pin is seen accusing a small group of demonstrators off-camera of “supporting genocide” from across a street, leading a woman behind the camera to repeatedly retort “you’re so stupid.” The video, which was edited, then shows the man dart across the street and tackle the man believed to be Hayes at full speed, knocking him to the ground with the attacker also falling.
A pop from an apparent gunshot is heard before the man scoots away on the sidewalk. A second video from another angle shows Hayes appear to drop the gun on the sidewalk after using it.
“At some point in that melee, yeah, there was a shot, but this guy was really tough to take down, he was really determined,” Dave Sherman, who witnessed the incident, told local Channel 5 Boston.
A later video posted online showed the tackled man appearing to provide preliminary medical care to the assailant, who is conscious and mobile, and requesting an ambulance be called.
The shot man, whose name has not been released, was being treated at a hospital for life-threatening injuries, Ryan said.
Hayes was identified on social media as an Iraq war veteran known for his presence at pro-Israel rallies, but these details could not be immediately confirmed.
The New England branch of the Anti-Defamation League criticized the decision to file charges against him before a full investigation was completed, calling it “concerning.”
“We encourage Newton Police and the Middlesex District Attorney to conduct a thorough investigation of the entire incident. We are concerned about escalating tensions and remain in contact with law enforcement and community officials,” it said.
Acting Newton Police Chief George McMains asked witnesses to provide investigators with photos or videos of the confrontation. He said police would provide extra patrols at “houses of worship” over the next several days.
Newton Mayor Ruthanne Fuller called the shooting a “frightening incident” and asked for everyone to remain calm as police investigate.
“I know people will have a lot of questions, and we will share information with Newtonians and the press when we are able,” Fuller said. “It’s really early stages of an active investigation.”
A fundraiser on the GoFundMe website was set up in the wake of the incident to cover Hayes’s legal fees, drawing some $17,000 as of Friday morning.
Fighting in the Gaza Strip and the plight of hostages kidnapped by Palestinian terror group Hamas on October 7 have set passions aflame in many US cities, with some demonstrations turning violent.
In October, a man pulled a gun and fired shots into the air after being attacked by pro-Palestinian protesters demonstrating against a Jewish community vigil outside Chicago for victims of the terrorist onslaught, authorities said. Charges were not filed against the man.
Months later, a Jewish man at a pro-Israel demonstration was killed when a counter-protester shoved him to the ground following a verbal altercation. A suspect in the case was charged with manslaughter.