Middlesex DA reviewing all cases involving Woburn cop who allegedly helped plan deadly Charlottesville rally
Deborah Becker
Officer John Donnelly allegedly played an “active role” in organizing the 2017 white supremacist event that killed a counter protester.
Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan is launching an investigation into a Woburn police officer’s alleged involvement in helping to plan a deadly 2017 white nationalist rally that took the life of a counterprotester.
Woburn officer John Donnelly was suspended with pay Thursday after his department found out about his alleged “active” role in organizing and participating in the Charlottesville “Unite the Right” rally, which drew neo-Nazis and Klu Klux Klan (KKK) members.
On Friday, Ryan’s office released a statement calling the allegations “disturbing” and saying she would review all cases involving Donnelly. “We are acutely aware of the way in which these allegations tear at the fabric of trust which exists between communities and the police departments which serve them,” the statement said.
At the infamous rally, 32-year-old counterprotester Heather Heyer was killed when a white supremacist purposefully drove his car into a crowd. Dozens of others were injured. In the hours leading up to the incident, rallygoers carried weapons and spouted anti-Semitic and racist chants. WCVB on Thursday shared a video purportedly showing Donnelly at the rally. He was a reserve officer at the time.
Ryan’s office said it’s thoroughly reviewing any pending or closed cases tied to Donnelly and that it will convene an emergency meeting of an anti-hate task force next week. The meeting, according to the statement, will feature subject matter experts and open the floor to community input. Details of that meeting weren’t yet available.
Woburn police said the department would do an internal investigation for inappropriate conduct while Donnelly was on leave.
“What was said and done in Charlottesville is in direct opposition to the core values of the Woburn Police Department, to serve all members of our community equally and treat them with dignity and respect,” Woburn Police Chief Robert Rufo said.
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