Cambridge police fatally shot William Woodworth, 64, of Watertown on Friday night in a parking lot off Temple Street in Central Square. The Middlesex District Attorney’s office and Cambridge Police Department said in a statement early Saturday morning that Woodworth was shot multiple times by police after he pointed a firearm at officers.
In the statement, police say they received a call shortly after 8 p.m. on the department’s business line, reporting “suspicious individuals located in a loading dock/parking lot behind area businesses.” Once on the scene, officers “engaged verbally with multiple individuals located in the area.โ Police say Woodworth was seated in his vehicle when they arrived, but allegedly got out and pointed a firearm at them.
Cambridge police say they tried to โphysically disarm [Woodworth] and multiple shots were firedโ striking him. Police took the firearm he was carrying, which they say was loaded. Woodworth was pronounced dead at the scene after police say medical aid was provided. Several officers were taken to area hospitals, treated and released. It is not known what injuries, if any, they might have sustained.
On Friday, Cambridge police issued a statement at 10:50 p.m. saying Temple Street was closed and that there was a “significant police presence” at the scene. The public was asked to avoid the area. Temple Street, which runs between Massachusetts Ave. and Bishop Allen Dr., re-opened Saturday morning.
On Sunday, Mayor Sumbul Siddiqui and City Manager Yi-An Huang put out a statement saying in part that they were “grateful that the responding officers were not seriously injured and are safe.”
They also offered condolences to Woodworthโs family, who had not yet been identified at the time.
Body camera footage under review
Investigators said the police officers involved were wearing body cameras on Friday and that their footage is being reviewed.
In the past, the city has not released footage from police body cams, citing ongoing investigations. City councillors have pushed for faster public access, noting that cities like Worcester have released footage within a week.
Police were not wearing body cameras on January 4, 2023, when Cambridge police fatally shot Sayed Faisal, a 20-year-old student wielding a large knife. In an inquest report, a judge determined that the shooting was justified.
But the incident spurred the adoption of body cameras by Cambridge police, who began wearing them in April 2025. Until Friday, there had not been a fatal shooting by city police since.
The Middlesex DA’s office is conducting an inquest into this most recent shooting.
A community responds
The shooting drew a range of responses from Cambridge organizations.
On Monday, the Cambridge Police Patrol Officers Association released a statement supporting the officers involved. โNo officer ever wants to encounter a situation where lethal force is necessary. But police sometimes have no other option in the protection of citizens and themselves,โ the police unionโs executive board wrote. โWe will continue to support [our members] in this difficult time following the traumatic and high-stress encounter Friday evening.โ
On Tuesday, The Black Response, an association for Black and African residents in Cambridge that supports alternatives to policing, released a joint statement with Cambridge Democratic Socialists of America.
โThere is still a lot we do not know about what happened. But we do know that William Woodworth was a human being,โ they wrote. โWhatever circumstances brought him into contact with Cambridge Police on Friday, the encounter should not have ended with his death. We believe a just system must be organized around preserving human life and dignity; in this instance, we have lost both.โ
The statement included a list of questions for local police and city officials, including โWhat alternatives to lethal force were available, and were any of them considered or attempted?โ
The statement also referenced recent incidents, including a 2025 standoff between Cambridge police and a Cambridge man who was wielding knives at a bus stop in Central Square, but did not end in death.
This week, the Boston Globe reported that Woodworthโs wife Felicita, of Framingham, was planning to meet with authorities on Wednesday and would ask to review video of the shooting.
She remembered her husband, whom she was separated from, as a talented artist with a variety of skills, including housepainting, taxi driving and photography. Woodworthโs sister, Leslie, told the Globe he had struggled with his mental health since childhood, and that he carried guns because he feared for his safety.
The Globe reported that Woodworth was arrested in 2023 for the alleged possession of a loaded unlicensed firearm, a charge that was later dropped because of a warrantless search.
Cambridge city officials announced over the weekend that its leaders would host open office hours to โto give people an opportunity to meet directly, ask any questions or share any concerns they may have.๏ปฟโ
โResidents, employees who own or work at businesses in the area, students, and anyone else in the area will have an opportunity to connect 1-on-1 or in small groups,โ said Jeremy Warnick, spokesperson for the city.
Acting Commissioner Pauline Wells will conduct hers Thursday morning 8-9:30 a.m. at Street Theory Collective. Mayor Siddiqui is holding hers Friday from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at her office at Cambridge City Hall. City Manager Huang is hosting his at Donut Villa from 8 to 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, September 1.
This story was updated to correct an error: Cambridge police began wearing body cameras in 2025, not 2024.
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