Investigation underway after man dies following police encounter at Mattapan treatment center

A man died last week after a brief struggle with police who had been called to a Mattapan mental health facility at the request of staff.

On Sept. 11, the man, who has not been identified, was acting erratically at the Bay Cove Human Services facility on Walk Street, according to a Boston Globe report. Police arrived around 7:50 p.m. following a request from staff to remove the man, who they believed was overdosing on cocaine, the report says. 

In records cited by the Globe, officers arrived at the facility, made contact with the victim, “a brief struggle ensued, and officers detained the victim.”

Paramedics took the man to Boston Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead around 9 p.m.

An investigation into the man’s death is underway with the Suffolk District Attorney’s office. 

Boston City Councilor Brian Worrell shared a Facebook post on Saturday, calling on the police to release body camera footage of the incident.

“A man tragically lost his life while in police custody on Walk Hill St. in Mattapan,” Worrell wrote. “The conflicting accounts around what happened to him raise serious concerns, which is why I support the DA’s investigation and call for body camera footage to be reviewed and released. Our community deserves truth, accountability, and transparency.”

According to its website, Bay Cove offers addiction treatment as well as mental health and housing services in the Boston area.