HINSDALE, Mass. — Biagio Kauvil, a 27-year-old man from New York, was killed by police in a chaotic confrontation at a home on Off South Street in Hinsdale on Wednesday that also left two officers injured. The district attorney’s office says what began as a welfare check soon spiraled into violence, highlighting the challenges law enforcement faces when responding to mental health crises.
Kauvil, who had been struggling with severe paranoia, including fears that organized crime and law enforcement were targeting him, reportedly called the FBI’s National Threat Operations Center in the days leading up to the incident. The federal threat center relayed concerns about his mental state, prompting local police to conduct a well-being check at his family’s residence.
On Wednesday morning Kauvil made several frantic 911 calls from inside the house. Dispatchers reported hearing muffled banging that sounded like a phone being slammed. At one point he spoke with dispatchers for about 16 minutes and said he might be okay, while a woman in the background attempted to calm him. Investigators later learned he had locked himself in a bedroom.
Police from Hinsdale and neighboring Dalton arrived and spoke to Kauvil through the locked door. At about 10:50 a.m. they called for an ambulance to assess him for a mental health evaluation, hoping to get him help. Officials also asked officers to limit radio traffic so as not to further agitate him. About eight minutes later, they made the decision to breach the bedroom door.
Inside the room, Kauvil was holding a gun in his left hand. A struggle quickly unfolded as officers tried to restrain him. During the struggle Kauvil’s weapon discharged, wounding Hinsdale Police Sergeant Dominick Crupi in the hand and sending a bullet into Police Chief Shawn Boyne’s chest, where it was stopped by his ballistic vest. Officers deployed a taser twice, briefly subduing Kauvil before he broke free and continued to resist.
In the confusion that followed, a Hinsdale officer unintentionally struck Sgt. Crupi in the elbow with gunfire. Seconds later, another officer fired again, hitting Kauvil in the head. Officers immediately provided aid, but Kauvil later died from his wounds at Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield. Both officers were hospitalized; Chief Boyne was treated and released, and Sgt. Crupi was transferred to Albany Medical Center and is expected to recover.
District Attorney Timothy Shugrue described the events as a tragedy that unfolded in less than a minute and underscored the difficulty of handling situations involving mental health crises without adequate resources. Kauvil’s family had sought help for him prior to the incident, and Shugrue stressed that insufficient mental health support played a role in the outcome. The investigation remains active, and officials continue to review body-camera footage and other evidence as questions linger about decisions made that morning.
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