Suspect in carjackings killed by police in Byfield

LOWELL — A possible suspect in two carjackings — one in Lowell and the other an armed heist from a Nashua auto dealership — died after he was shot by police in Newbury on Sunday, according to police.

State Police rendered first aid to the 31-year-old suspect after the shooting and he was later pronounced dead at Anna Jacques Hospital in Newburyport, according to Carrie Kimball, a spokesperson for the Essex District Attorney’s Office.

The identity of the suspect was not released Sunday night.

No police were injured during the shooting incident that occurred in the village of Byfield at about 6 p.m. Sunday, according to

State Police spokesman David Procopio.

Lowell Police Capt. James Hodgdon said police received a call about a victim of a carjacking entering the Tavern in the Square restaurant on Chelmsford Street in Lowell at about 3 p.m.

The victim told police she was inside her vehicle near the restaurant when a white male opened her car door and told her to get out, Hodgdon said. The victim exited the vehicle with her pocketbook but the suspect grabbed the pocketbook after a struggle, Hodgdon added.

The suspect fled the scene with the stolen car and was last seen on Route 3 headed north, Hodgdon said. The Lowell Police Department announced the crime to the Massachusetts and New Hampshire State Police, telling them to be on the lookout for the suspect and the stolen vehicle.

Hodgdon said the suspect was wanted for carjacking, unarmed robbery and assault and battery of a person 60 or older.

Police located the stolen vehicle in Nashua, according to Kimball.

A short time later, a suspect allegedly stole a vehicle from Tulley Automotive Group on Daniel Webster Highway in Nashua, New Hampshire.

That suspect allegedly came into the dealership armed with a knife and demanded a vehicle from an employee, Kimball said. The employee was allegedly stabbed by the suspect, who then fled the scene with a black 2020 BMW X5 M. The stolen SUV did not have any license plates.

Kimball said the victim of the stabbing suffered minor injuries and has since been released from the hospital.

State Police said in a press release that they located the stolen SUV and suspect in the vicinity of Prime Gas Station on Central Street in Byfield, a village in the town of Newbury.

State Police approached the vehicle and the suspect attempted to escape, Kimball said. She added he drove into the cruiser parked behind him.

“At that point in the confrontation, an officer or officers discharged a weapon or weapons,” Kimball said. “We have not yet determined how many, or who did it.”

Police stated in the release that it has not been confirmed the suspect in the Nashua theft is responsible for the prior carjacking in Lowell.