State Trooper shot during Chicopee standoff, suspect Carlos Laguer dead

CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP) - The man wanted in an armed standoff with Chicopee, Springfield, and Massachusetts State Police Friday morning was killed, and a state trooper shot during the standoff is recovering in the hospital.

Massachusetts State Police Spokesperson David Procopio identified the suspect as Carlos Laguer, 41, of Springfield. The body of the suspect was still inside the West Street home as of 8: 00pm Friday night. Police are investigating whether he committed suicide or was killed by officers.

Several downtown Chicopee streets were shut down for more than 12 hours, but the intersection of Center and West Streets has since reopened.

Several cars were towed from the area around 7:30 Friday night, including a State Police cruiser, a Chicopee Police cruiser, a silver truck and a school bus.

Col. Marian McGovern, Commander of the Massachusetts State Police, announced in a news conference, that Trooper John Vasquez , a 20-year state police veteran, was shot during the standoff.

Vasquez was shot in the lower left leg, right hand, and took shrapnel to his right leg. He is currently recovering after getting surgery on his finger at Baystate Medical Center. He is listed in good condition.

McGovern said that the Laguer was found dead on the first floor of a multi-family house at 102 West Street, which is located near the corner of West and Center Streets. Following the discovery of the body, firefighters were called-in as there was the strong smell of gas inside the house. McGovern said that there was a woman and a young boy inside the house when the shooting started, but they are both safe.

Chicopee Mayor Michael Bissonnette told 22News that at one point, the suspect had taken an eight year-old boy hostage, but the boy was released. Bissonnette told 22News the woman who lived in the house had a restraining order against the suspect. "He (the 8 year-old boy) and his mother moved into the city. There was a restraining order out of Springfield District Court involving the shooter and the mother. It appears that she fled from an issue of domestic violence to Chicopee, had a new boyfriend. The shooter came to this residence, the new boyfriend was gone, we're not sure where. He confronted the landlord to gain access to the apartment, when that didn't happen he kicked the door in and then confronted the mother. He may have fired shots at her as she fled, and then he came out of the front door, while the 8-year-old was still in the apartment and began the shooting spree that involved Trooper Vasquez."

Bissonnette said the child will be offered counseling.

Chicopee Police Chief John Ferraro says Chicopee police responded to reports of gunshots at 7:45 A.M. The officers returned fire in self-defense, and Vasquez was hit during that time. A Chicopee police officer and another trooper went to help Vasquez, and the cruiser was then shot, but they managed to all get to the hospital safely.

Former police officer Ward Hamilton had also helped Vasquez following the shooting. He told 22News about what he saw.

“He (the suspect) was just firing at anything and everything that was moving. It was extremely scary. There was a moment where I think everyone, the troopers, the state, the Chicopee police, they were getting organized, and somebody said ‘there’s a kid coming out,’ and this will be forever burned and engraved in my head, just this little kid coming out in what looked like just his underwear, and he just tiptoed across the street,” Hamilton said.

The child and his mother were taken to Richard Morin's house. He told 22News what the situation was like: "She was just yelling, she wanted her kid, she wanted to know if her baby was fine and stuff like that, and it was just really sad to see, it's not something you want to wake up to on a Friday, a beautiful Friday day, it just gets ruined," Morin said.

The whole situation terrified people out on the streets like Jessica Flores of Chicopee. "It’s just scary it’s scary out here, everybody is going to be scared now," Flores said. "We’ve seen stuff but nothing like this, it’s Friday the 13th and all."

Mayor Michael Bissonnette told 22News that as frightening as the situation was, things could have been much worse. “This could have been Armageddon, but it wasn’t," Bissonnette said. "This could have been a disaster of incredible proportions. There were many students in harm’s way, many pedestrians and customers at the convenience store."

The house where Laguer was found dead is right across the street from the Shell gas station. People at the gas station and other nearby businesses were not let out until the situation was cleared. Mayor Bissonnette said, "I'm told he did hit the oil tanker and luckily since it's only a single casing it did not penetrate, so we got fortunate there."

Bowe School on Hampden Street in Chicopee was put on lockdown during the standoff, as was Holyoke Catholic High School on Springfield Street. Students in both schools