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MIT Campus Shooting: Police Officer Down

By Tara Dodrill
Published on: 15:31 PST, Apr 18, 2013

1:40 am UPDATE: The MIT shooting suspects may have explosives strapped to their bodies. Air support has reportedly been called in to aid police in their search for the shooters. Police scanner traffic appears to indicate that an arrest is going on right now. One MIT suspect has reportedly been taken into custody, but one remains at large. The National Guard and the FBI are reportedly now on the scene in Watertown.

1:30 am UPDATE: One MIT shooting suspect possibly remains at large. A robot has been brought onto the scene, reportedly for explosives detection purposes. Multiple shots have been fired on the scene. More speculation about a connection to the Boston bombings, but that has not been confirmed by any law enforcement source.

Police scanner traffic now indicates that a second vehicle has possibly fled from the scene. Police traffic also indicates a possible threat at the Children’s Hospital in Watertown, no new reports of gunfire. The hospital is on lockdown.

1:07 am UPDATE: Police officers have now turned off all of their cell phones, concerns about the MIT suspects having multiple explosives devices reportedly prompted the move. Another officer is possibly missing from the scene. No connection between the MIT shooting suspects and the Boston Marathon bombings has bee established.

1:00 am UPDATE: MIT shooting suspects still reportedly using long rifles and hand grenades. Police officers ordered to retreat to a secure location and set up a perimeter. Police officers have now located the stolen Mercedes, it is unknown if anyone is still inside.

12:55 am UPDATE: Police scanner traffic now indicates a foot pursuit for the MIT shooting suspects may be taking place. Another officer is reportedly down. The officers are also noting reports of “loud booms” in the vicinity. The MIT shooting suspects are also engaging in automatic gunfire and possible hand grenade use.

12:52 am UPDATE: The MIT shooting suspects have grenades and explosives, according to police scanner traffic. The radio communications also noted a possible explosion of some type. A link between the MIT shooting and the Boston Marathon bombings is still unconfirmed.

12:30 am UPDATE: The MIT shooting suspect and a companion are still on the loose. Both men are now being described as Middle Eastern on the police scanner. The men who carjacked the Mercedes stopped to get gas at a station with a video camera. Police officers are going to review the images now. The suspects inside the stolen car have reportedly fired shots at police officers.

One of suspects is now being described as light-skinned, the other dark-skinned. Speculation about the MIT shooting being linked to the Boston Marathon bombings has vastly increased on social media, but there has been no official confirmation of any connection at this time. Law enforcement officers were told that the suspects may be heading towards New York.

12:25 UPDATE: Police officers are now using canine units to help search for the MIT shooting suspect. Police scanner traffic just noted that a black Mercedes was carjacked by two armed light-skinned Middle Eastern males in Cambridge about 30 minutes ago. It is still unknown if the carjacking is related to the MIT shooting or if the suspects have any type of link to the Boston Marathon bombings.

A shooting took place on the MIT campus at about 10:45 pm. The incident was an officer involved shooting, a police officer is down. A weapon was recovered at the scene, but the suspect remains on the loose. A photo of the possible shooter is in the process of being released. Massachusetts State Police officers are on the scene. An active pursuit of a dark-skinned male possible suspect is currently underway, according to police scanner traffic.

The MIT school paper website is reporting that shots were fired near 32 Vassar Street, Stata Center. All students on the campus have been urged to stay inside. A flurry of speculation about a possible connection with the Boston Marathon bombings immediately sprang up on social media after news of the shooting hit the internet.

Police officers are still attempting to locate the suspect, there is currently no known connection between the MIT shooting and the Boston bombings. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is in Cambridge, which is just across the Charles River from Boston. The university is about over one mile from the Boston Marathon bombings site.

12:06 am UPDATE: The police officer injured during the MIT shooting has died, according to NBC News. The suspect in the shooting is reportedly wearing a baseball cap, thin, about 6-foot two-inches tall and has facial hair, according to police scanner traffic. The most recent scanner traffic is describing the possible suspect as a white male. A witness told officers about a man in a blue hoodie running past him near the campus and said that the man may have been white.

11:57 UPDATE: Police officers are currently in pursuit of three black males wearing hoodies. The police officer suffered life threatening injuries during the MIT shooting, according to CBS News.

11:40 pm UPDATE: Police officers were just alerted to a young woman sitting and crying on campus. A male was reportedly spotted running away from the area of the girl. The connection, if any, to the MIT shooting is not currently known.

The Inquisitr will post more information about the MIT shooting as soon as more details become available.

[Image Via: Twitter/Matt Tomlin]

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