BOSTON (CBS) – A Massachusetts State Police trooper fatally shot a man who was allegedly wielding a knife on a Boston footbridge Friday afternoon.

The suspect, identified as 45-year-old Santos Laboy of Somerville, was shot on the Silber Footbridge over Storrow Drive just before 3 p.m.

The incident began when Boston University Police officers noticed a man who matched the description of a person wanted by police. They approached him and a chase ensued.

WBZ-TV Security Analyst Ed Davis was driving on Storrow Drive at the time of the incident and said he saw a man running along the road with a knife in hand.

State Police Col. Timothy Alben says a trooper working a detail in the area confronted the man on the footbridge. Alben says the man was holding a knife and threatening the trooper.

“The trooper told him to put down the weapon he was brandishing,” Alben said. “He did not. There were shots fired at that point, and as a result of that, the individual is deceased.”

Police said the suspect has a lengthy criminal history and had an outstanding warrant for “harassing a member of the opposite sex.” Boston Police had put out a description of the man Friday morning.

Sources tell WBZ news Boston University Police were seeking Laboy for allegedly leaving sexually explicit pictures of himself at a laundromat near the campus at least six times. Police say he would follow up with lewd phone calls.

No officers were injured during the incident.

Witness Mason Moran tells WBZ-TV the officer was backing up as the man approached him with the knife. “They were telling him to stop multiple, multiple times,” Moran said.

Nate Reddi was working out on the exercise equipment on the Esplanade when the scene unfolded. Reddi said the suspect was also working out in the area and was chased by police.

“The cop asked him to drop the knife multiple times, probably like ten times and he didn’t listen,” Reddi said.

“He shot him once, nothing really happened he just like stood there, blood was coming out of his chest, and then he shot him like three more consecutive times and he just went down.”

Suffolk County District Attorney Dan Conley assigned a senior prosecutor to investigate the shooting.

“Our role as prosecutors is to determine whether the use of lethal force was justified as a matter of Massachusetts law,” Conley said. “That determination will be made after a full, fair, and impartial investigation. We draw no conclusions from the preliminary evidence and we reserve judgment until all the facts are in.”

A portion of the Boston Esplanade was marked off with crime scene tape following the shooting. Storrow Drive was shut down while police investigated.

WBZ NewsRadio 1030’s Lana Jones reports:

