Town officials plan to review operations at Motel 6 after a Braintree police officer was shot in the head while serving a warrant at the motel, which has a history of attracting drug dealers, prostitutes, and violent criminals.
Braintree police officer Donald Delaney, 36, was released from the hospital Sunday afternoon and is expected to make a full recovery, Police Chief Paul Shastany said Sunday.
“He’s doing very well,” Shastany said of Delaney, a veteran who joined the force in 2010. “He will have a full recovery, albeit some marks.” Delaney underwent surgery Saturday at Massachusetts General Hospital for a bullet lodged in the side of his head following a standoff Friday night with Tizaya Jordan Robinson, 25, of Dorchester.
Shastany said Delaney was also struck in the face, above his left eye, by a piece of shrapnel or debris. Police found Robinson dead inside a room at the motel on Union Street early Saturday morning.
Shastany said learning that an officer got shot is a “nightmare phone call for all police chiefs,” and he’s thankful Delaney is doing well.
Accor North America in Carrollton, Texas, owns the Motel 6 chain. In a statement Sunday, the company said it’s aware of the shooting at the Motel 6 in Braintree.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the police officer injured as a result of this situation. Motel 6 management is fully cooperating with local authorities and we’ll continue to provide any required assistance,” the statement reads. “We are grateful that the community, our guests and team members are safe thanks to the help and support of the local authorities, especially the Braintree Police Department.” Residents took to social media over the weekend to call for the Motel 6 in Braintree to shut down. A review of stories in The Patriot Ledger shows that crime at the Union Street site dates back to when the Susse Chalet Motor Lodge first opened there in the mid-1970s. The motel is located just off Route 3 and near the MBTA’s Red Line and commuter rail Braintree station.
About 9:30 p.m. on Friday, four Braintree police officers responded to the motel to assist Boston police in serving a warrant to Robinson, who had multiple weapons violations and an active warrant out of Dorchester for domestic assault and battery, kidnapping and threatening to commit a crime, Norfolk County District Attorney Michael Morrissey said Saturday.
When Robinson would not open the door, police officers attempted to use a motel key. Robinson fired two rounds at officers through the door, and Delaney was struck in the face. Braintree officers returned fire through the door before retreating.
Police used a robotic camera to enter the room shortly before 2 a.m. and found Robinson dead. Morrissey said Robinson had several gunshot wounds and at least one of them appeared to be self-inflicted.
The chief medical examiner planned to conduct an autopsy on Robinson over the weekend.
Delaney is not the first officer to be shot while responding to the motel site.
In 1976, 37-year-old police officer Robert Devin was shot in the chest by a Dorchester man attempting to rob the Susse Chalet Motor Lodge. Devin, who fully recovered, returned gunfire and killed 26-year-old Leon Myers.
On Sunday, Braintree Mayor Joseph Sullivan said he went to the motel Saturday morning and had spoken with local and corporate management several times during the weekend. He said he plans to meet with representatives from Motel 6 this week.
“We need to have a very honest conversation and assessment of the viability of this location,” Sullivan said. “We cannot allow Braintree P.D. or any citizens to be put in harm’s way with a potential stay at Motel 6. It’s not acceptable.”
