Officials on Monday identified William Woodworth, 64, of Watertown as the man who was fatally shot by Cambridge police on Friday night.
The Middlesex District Attorney’s office and Cambridge Police Department had previously said officers had responded to a report of people gathered in a parking lot off Temple Street and were “engaged verbally with multiple individuals located in the area” when they alleged Woodworth got out of a vehicle and pointed a firearm at officers. Police said they tried to disarm Woodworth before shooting him.
Police were wearing body cameras and footage is being used in the ongoing investigation into the incident. But officials have not said when that footage will be released to the public.
Body cameras were not in use in Cambridge in January 2023, the last time Cambridge police shot and killed a person in the city. That case involved Sayed Faisal, who was running through city streets wielding a large knife. An inquest determined that shooting was justified.
But the incident spurred the adoption of body cameras by Cambridge police, who began wearing them in April 2024. However, the city has in the past not released footage until after any legal action has been resolved. City council has pushed for faster release, noting that cities like Worcester typically release footage within a week of an incident.
Acting Police Commissioner Pauline Wells, City Manager Yi-An Huang and Mayor Sumbul Siddiqui put out a statement on Sunday saying in part they were “grateful that the responding officers were not seriously injured and are safe.”
Each official will hold open office hours over the next two weeks for anyone in the community who has questions about the incident. These will be as follows:
Commissioner Wells
Thursday, August 27
8:00-9:30 a.m.
Street Theory Collective, 541 Massachusetts Avenue
Mayor Siddiqui
Friday, August 28
10 a.m.-12 p.m.
Cambridge City Hall, Mayor’s Office, 795 Massachusetts Avenue
City Manager Huang
Tuesday, September 1
8:00-9:30 a.m.
Location to be determined.
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