Source masslive.com
After warning Massachusetts residents to “not approach” a possible armed man involved in a homicide investigation Thursday, Massachusetts State Police helped locate the man using its Air Wing.
Plymouth Police Department had said Thursday it was looking for Matthew Paluzzi, 26, in connection with an apparent homicide investigation in Manomet. Officials also shared a photo of Paluzzi.
“Mr. Paluzzi may be armed,” police said. “If anyone sees that vehicle or Mr. Paluzzi, DO NOT APPROACH. Call 911 and let the dispatchers know where you are. We appreciate your help.”
Hanover Police later arrested Paluzzi, Plymouth Police said Thursday morning in an update to its Facebook post.
“He is being transported by the Massachusetts State Police to Plymouth Police Headquarters,” the rest of the Facebook post read.
He is charged with murder in the death of his father, Anthony Paluzzi, 73. During his arraignment in Plymouth District Court Friday, a plea of not guilty was entered on his behalf and he was ordered held without bail.
Massachusetts State Police have since released Air Wing video of the pursuit.
“The Air Wing provides important, real time information to commanders in several different contexts, including: large public gatherings, disasters, technical rescues, missing person searches, or tactical incidents,” Massachusetts State Police told MassLive. “While law enforcement certainly accomplishes these missions without air support, the capability is very helpful.”
But police pursuits can be dangerous.
A study published in 2023 by the Police Executive Research Forum, a national think tank on policing standards, called for police not to start a pursuit unless a violent crime has been committed and the suspect poses an imminent threat.
The report followed a spike in fatalities from police chases during the COVID-19 pandemic and the criticism of several police departments for the increased use of pursuits, including in Houston and New York City.
“A lot of this has to do with the new thinking in policing today, which is about proportionality,” said Chuck Wexler, executive director of PERF. “It’s about the sanctity of life and balancing the risk to everyone. Police officers die in pursuits. Suspects die in pursuits and even citizens can be injured or die.”
Massachusetts State Police said the decision has to balance the necessity of apprehending the suspect and the risk created by the pursuit.
“In this homicide case, it was important to apprehend the man, and we’re grateful that was done by the public safety partners without incident,” state police said in a statement.
More than three years before prosecutors say Matthew Paluzzi fatally stabbed his father, he had faced criminal charges after he was accused of pointing a gun at a woman using an ATM and asking her if she wanted to die that day, court records show.
After that arrest, Matthew Paluzzi’s mother, Wendy, told police, that his mental health began to spiral. Eventually, he required hospitalization at High Point Treatment Center and McLean Hospital, according to a police report filed in connection with Matthew Paluzzi’s murder charge.
And in the month before he was accused of killing his father, Matthew Paluzzi’s mental health had declined, his mother said. According to police, Matthew Paluzzi told them Thursday that he “snapped.”
On Thursday, Wendy Paluzzi told police she heard her son moving around in the home around 5:45 a.m., and hearing that, got up to check on her husband, at which point she found him unresponsive. She told officers she did not know where her son was, and noticed that her keys and car were missing.
During an interview with police, Wendy Paluzzi told officers Matthew Paluzzi was on probation at the time and did not have any close friends that she knew of. Matthew Paluzzi’s behavior had changed in the last month, she said, noting that he had begun smoking cannabis and his mental health appeared to be declining.
Matthew Paluzzi was held without bail Friday. His attorney, Makis Antzoulatos, filed a motion to request funds for a forensic psychologist, which was allowed by Judge Julie Bernard.
Matthew Paluzzi will return to court — for both cases — on Oct. 2.
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