Investigation into Fatal Officer-Involved Shooting in Winchester Completed

WINCHESTER – Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan has announced that the investigation into the fatal officer-involved shooting that occurred in Winchester on November 2, 2020, resulting in the death of Thomas Celona has been closed following an inquest. District Attorney Ryan has adopted the findings of the inquest, which found that “the fatal shooting of Thomas P. Celona on November 2, 2020 was justified and does not constitute a criminal act.”   A certificate of no prosecution has been filed with the Court.

On November 2, 2020, after 8:12 p.m., Winchester Police responded to Parkview Apartments on Swanton Street after a security guard in the apartment building called 911 to report that a resident of the building, later identified as Thomas Celona, had reported an issue within his unit. Three Winchester Police Officers responded to the unit and reportedly heard noise coming from inside but did not observe signs of forced entry.  Police gained entry into the apartment and located Mr. Celona inside brandishing two knives. Police gave verbal commands for him to drop the knives before a Taser was deployed twice, which was unsuccessful in subduing him. When Thomas Celona continued to approach the officers, still brandishing a knife, the Winchester Officer fired his service weapon striking the man.  First aid was rendered on scene and the man was transported to an area hospital where he later died.

During the course of the inquest, the court heard testimony from 10 witnesses and reviewed numerous exhibits.  Justice Peter F. Doyle found that:

“The tragic death of Thomas P. Celona resulted from a lethal confluence of factors: a longstanding mental illness that had recently gone untreated; the mixing of prescribed and illicit drugs; the possession and threatened use of dangerous weapons; and a cramped, unforgiving locus. Applying the credible evidence to the applicable case law pertaining to the use of deadly force in defense of oneself or others, the court finds that when Winchester Officer Jeffrey LaTores fired his weapon, a reasonable law enforcement officer in the same position would reasonably believe that he and his fellow officers as well as others, were in imminent danger of being seriously injured or killed. No reasonable alternative existed, except for the use of deadly force upon Celona.”

To ensure a complete and unbiased review of fatal officer-involved shootings, in December 2018, District Attorney Ryan implemented a policy of requesting  inquests in all fatal officer-involved incidents. An inquest is a judicial proceeding conducted for the purpose of finding the facts and circumstances surrounding a death and determining whether a crime occurred. Although the proceeding is closed to the public, both the officer(s) involved in the shooting and the family of the decedent are allowed to be present and may participate as permitted by the court to ensure fairness.  At the conclusion of the inquest, the judge is required to issue detailed written findings which are then sent to the District Attorney who then decides whether to pursue criminal charges.  At the conclusion of the case the judge’s findings and the transcripts of the entire inquest proceeding are publicly available as a matter of law. 

The  findings of the inquest proceedings into the death of Thomas Celona can be found here: