SAUGUS — Authorities are investigating a police-involved shooting on Alfred Road that left a woman dead Saturday evening, the Essex County District Attorney’s office has confirmed.
Shortly after 4:30 p.m., three Saugus police officers responded to 3 Alfred Road following a report from a caller requesting assistance with a female family member in distress. Upon entering the residence, the officers encountered a 38-year-old woman, identified as Stephanie Gerardi, who was brandishing a knife, according to officials.
During the confrontation, one of the officers fired his weapon three times, striking the woman. The responding officers and EMS — which was also on scene due to the nature of the call — immediately rendered aid to Gerardi, but their attempts were unsuccessful and she was pronounced dead at the scene, the DA’s office said.
The involved officers were not injured in the incident, but were taken to a local hospital as a precaution. The officer who fired his duty weapon has been placed on administrative leave, per department policy.
The shooting drew a heavy police presence; authorities from the DA’s office, Essex State Police Detective Unit, and other State Police units were at the scene for hours Saturday.
One neighbor who could see the house on Alfred Road from her front yard on Walnut Street claimed that she heard a loud bang but didn’t hear anything afterward.
“I just heard like a real big boom and so my neighbor came over and said, ‘I think there’s something going on over there,'” she said.
Another neighbor on Alfred Road added that the inhabitants of the home were “young girls.”
“I’ve been here since 1994 and nothing like this happened,” one woman who lives nearby said.
A cousin of the victim, Marcella Gerardi, told reporters at the scene that the victim and their family were great people and asked for prayers from the community.
“It’s very tragic. They’re great people. Just pray for them,” she said.
Marcella Gerardi said that the family wanted to be on the scene to “make sure that everything was OK.” She added that she didn’t know what led up to the events. The two neighbors said two children lost their mother in the shooting.
“I’m feeling sad and I’m feeling hurt,” Gerardi said. “Shocked; (I’m) shocked.”
Upon completion of the investigation, the DA’s office said it will release its findings to the public.
