A decorated Boston police officer is fighting for his life in a coma after being shot in the face “point-blank” Friday by a “violent” career criminal. <br /> <br />Officer John Moynihan, 34, was shot below the right eye by suspect Angelo West, 41, who emptied his revolver at cops during a traffic stop, Boston Police Commissioner William Evans said during a press conference Saturday. <br /> <br />West, of Hyde Park, unleashed a hail of bullets as cops approached his car in the city’s Roxbury neighborhood, officials said. <br /> <br />The “nearly assassination-style” shooting on the six-year Boston police veteran was unprovoked, Evans and Rev. Mark Scott said. <br /> <br />“The officer probably didn’t even have a chance to even say anything,” Evans said. “No one had any indication of what might happen.” <br /> <br />Moynihan, a former Army Ranger who served in Iraq, was transported to Boston Medical Center, where he is in a medically induced coma with a bullet still lodged behind his right ear. <br /> <br />The critically injured cop is undergoing tests and being monitored for bleeding in his brain. <br /> <br />His shooter, who authorities say has a criminal history with several prior gun convictions, had continued firing at the other five gang task force officers as he tried to run away, Evans said. <br /> <br />West had emptied his .357 Magnum handgun before he was shot dead on the scene. He had also fired at officers in dowtown Boston in 2001. <br /> <br />Witness videos, which have not yet been released, show the highly decorated cop barely exchanging words with the driver before he was blasted in the face about 6:40 p.m., Evans said. <br /> <br />None of the officers involved had their guns drawn before the attack. <br /> <br />“We’re just all very lucky that he’s still with us today,” Evans said. “We’re hoping and praying there’s no further damage.” <br /> <br />Moynihan was honored by the White House with a National Association of Police Organizations “Top Cop Award” last May for his role in the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombing. <br /> <br />He helped gravely wounded MBTA Transit Police Officer Richard Donohue Jr. during a shootout with Boston Marathon Bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev on April 19, 2013. <br /> <br />“He’s a strong kid,” Evans said. “He’s a fighter. He’s going to pull through.” <br /> <br />Two other people who were in the car with the suspect are being questioned by police. <br /> <br />A female driver caught in the crossfire was treated for a flesh wound on her arm and is recovering, Evans said. <br /> <br />“These acts of violence have no place in our neighborhoods,” Boston Mayor Marty Walsh said in a statement. <br /> <br />“We are thankful for all of those who put their lives on the on the line every day to protect our city.”
