Off-duty officer shoots dead suspect who killed two in knife rampage

A knifeman who went on a deadly stabbing rampage after crashing his car into a Macy’s store has been shot dead by an off-duty policeman. Arthur DaRosa was killed as he attacked diners in a restaurant in a mall in Taunton, Massachusetts, having earlier attacked two women in their home. His rampage left two people dead and several injured but police say they are still unsure what motivated the attack. "Tragedy has certainly hit the city of Taunton hard here this evening,“ Taunton mayor Tom Hoye said.

I’d like to thank the off-duty sheriff. If it wasn’t for his heroic actions there could have been more loss of life here this evening

Taunton mayor Tom Hoye

The rampage began when DaRosa, 28, crashed a car outside a house in the city. He walked inside the property killing 80-year-old Patricia Slavin and leaving her daughter with life-threatening injuries. From there he drove to the Silver City Galleria mall, crashed his car into the department store, got out and stabbed several people. He went on to a Bertucci’s Italian restaurant, where he stabbed two more people, leaving a 56-year-old man dead. He was then shot by the off-duty sheriff’s deputy.

All of a sudden he walked into Bertucci’s and I saw him just start stabbing people. And there was someone with a chair trying to throw it at (the suspect). There was an off-duty police officer there, and he actually shot him and kept him down

Witness Emaly Higgings

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