Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden ruled that an off-duty Boston police officer was justified in a 2025 fatal shooting at the Chick-Fil-A on Boylston Street.
Officers responded to a reported shooting at the Chick-Fil-A around 5:30 p.m. on March 1, 2025, and found a man suffering from a life-threatening gunshot wound.
The off-duty officer, identified as Jose Valenzuela, shot the man said the man had been chasing two people inside the restaurant with a knife and did not drop the weapon after he identified himself as a police officer, officials said.
“At the time he was shot, Mr. Jaramillo had ignored commands to drop a knife and was attempting to stab a 17-year-old male he had chased into the restaurant in retaliation for a fight moments before. Officer Valenzuela fired his off-duty handgun in a lawful use of force that was necessary to prevent Mr. Jaramillo from killing or seriously wounding the younger male or anyone else. Therefore, I have determined that criminal charges against the officer are not warranted,” Hayden said in the report.
