BAD BOY

Boston Cops Shot by Wannabe Cop With Fake Police Gear

Kirk Figueroa opened fire with an assault rifle after spending years supposedly as a private investigator, constable, and aspiring bounty hunter.

Nine Boston police officers were wounded, two of them critically, in a late-night shootout with wannabe cop.

Kirk Figueroa, 33, was wearing body armor and carrying an assault rifle when he opened fire on officers responding to a domestic disturbance call in East Boston around 11 p.m. Wednesday. Figueroa was killed. Boston police said they are still investigating Figueroa’s motives, but his career suggests a long-standing fascination with law enforcement.

Police arrived on the scene after reports of a domestic disturbance between roommates in an East Boston house. One of the two roommates had a gun, police were informed.

After the shooting, Boston Police towed away a Ford Crown Victoria, a vehicle frequently used as squad cars. The car had decals advertising the website ElitePolicing.org, the Boston Globe reported.

The URL links to a website for Code Blue Protection Group, a private security firm where Figueroa is listed as founder. The firm claims to provide bounty hunting and security services for “police, financial institutions, technology companies” and others.

Figueroa’s bio on the site boasts of his work in military and police-adjacent careers.

“From 2003 until ETS 2011, Mr. Kirk Figueroa was‎ a member of the United States Army Reserve HHC 306 Military Police Battalion (EPW),” his biography reads. “During this time (from 2008 until 2010), Kirk also gained some experience serving as an apprentice Licensed Private Investigator (cc) in the State of Florida. Then continuing to earn a Professional Diploma in Private Investigations from PDI - University of North Texas.”

Figueroa’s bio also boasts of his medical tech experience “with Heron Surgical Inc. located in Queens, New York.” When The Daily Beast called the phone number listed on Code Blue’s website, the woman who answered said it was the number for Heron Surgical, not Code Blue. After being placed on hold, she hung up.

Public records also show that Figueroa had filed a patent for a patch for bounty hunters. “Bail Runners LLP Professional Posse,” reads the patch, which mimics the design of many police patches.

Figueroa was also a licensed constable, the Boston Globe reported. Boston constables are a civilian force authorized by the police department’s legal wing. Constables are allowed to serve civil litigation papers, after passing a background check. Website registration records also suggest Figueroa registered a now-defunct website for constables.

Police said they hope to learn more about Wednesday night’s incident following the recovery of the wounded officers.

“They're still critical, but they're conscious and we were talking to them," Boston Police Commissioner William B. Evans told the Boston Herald as he left the hospital Thursday morning. "They went through a lot. The nine other officers here went through a lot. It was a traumatic experience for them."

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Kelly Weill

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