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Boston cops flood courthouse in show of support as fellow officer is charged for killing a man who carjacked a woman and drove at police

Thursday, March 19, 2026•
5 min read
MDN Staff
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Boston cops flood courthouse in show of support as fellow officer is charged for killing a man who carjacked a woman and drove at police

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BOSTON — Dozens of Boston police officers packed Roxbury District Court Thursday afternoon, standing shoulder to shoulder in a powerful show of support for Officer Nicholas O'Malley — the cop who shot and killed a suspected violent carjacker last week and is now facing a manslaughter charge for it.
The hallways and courtroom benches were filled with officers in uniform and plain clothes as O'Malley, 33, faced a judge in connection with the March 11 fatal shooting of Stephenson King, 39, of Dorchester. King had a prior ghost gun arrest and had just carjacked a woman, rammed a police cruiser, and was trying to flee in the stolen vehicle when O'Malley fired.
The message from the rank and file was clear.
Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden, a Democrat, charged O'Malley with voluntary manslaughter after his office concluded the officer was "not acting in proper self-defense or defense of another".
Hayden said the bodycam evidence was "important" to the case but announced the footage will not be released to the public, saying it would "endanger the prosecution."

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The determination stunned many in law enforcement given the circumstances of the encounter.
Boston police officers fill the courtroom at Roxbury District Court
Boston police officers packed the courtroom at Roxbury District Court for the arraignment of Officer Nicholas O'Malley on Thursday.
As Mass Daily News reported earlier Thursday, court documents describe bodycam footage showing O'Malley warning King, "Bro, I'm gonna fucking shoot you," before King threw the stolen car in reverse, slammed into O'Malley's cruiser, and attempted to flee. O'Malley fired three rounds as the vehicle lurched toward him.
King had allegedly carjacked a woman on Tremont Street just minutes earlier, according to police, assaulting her and stealing her running vehicle. In January 2024, police found him asleep on a Roxbury stairwell with a loaded 9mm ghost gun, a Polymer 80 with no serial number and a round in the chamber.
O'Malley was released on personal recognizance following his arraignment.
Larry Calderone, president of the Boston Police Patrolmen's Association, said the union is "outraged" by the swift prosecution. He called it "Monday morning quarterbacking" but stopped short of calling it a political prosecution in an election year.
A manslaughter charge against an on-duty Boston police officer is virtually unheard of — and the scene at the courthouse Thursday made clear that the officers who put on the uniform every day believe one of their own is being punished for doing his job.
This is a developing story.

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