Ft. Knox confirms Kirk Figueroa spent time in service with US Army Reserve. Kirk Figueroa, killed in #Eastie firefight, had Florida gun license that expired in Feb. But no records of him having a license in Mass. Florida denied him a private investigator’s license. More here.
5 Investigates uncovered several aliases used by Kirk Figueroa, the man killed by Boston Police after he shot two officers on Wednesday night in East Boston. He took on one of them as he experienced what he called an Islamic “rebirth” in Africa.
It’s a picture of contradictions uncovered by Five Investigates, where Figueroa, 33, who started at least three companies in Florida and other states focused on security and protection is now the man who nearly killed two officers responding to a domestic violence call.
5 Investigates uncovered a job posting for “Police Protection” for one of those companies named Bailrunners. In it, Figueroa identifies himself as Muhummed Isa Al Mahdi. The ad said Al Mahdi was looking for people interested in helping him “hunt down fugitives and bring them to justice.”
5 Investigates also discovered a posting from Muhummed Isa on a website guide for Mosques from October 2012. Isa wrote about his “rebirth as a baby into the Nation of Islam” following a trip to an area of Ethiopia and a Mosque in South Africa.
Isa went on, writing that his unique and blessed journey was prepared and guided by Allah.
Most recently, Figueroa was using the name Kocoa Xango on social media, identifying himself as a police constable. His last post under that name came just a few hours before the fatal shooting.
Documents obtained by 5 Investigates also found criminal trouble for Figueroa dating back to at least 2005 when he was arrested in Georgia for impersonating a police officer.
That case was dismissed, but trouble came again in 2010, when he pleaded guilty to arson after setting a car on fire.
5 Investigates found that the arson case later kept him from obtaining a private investigators license in Florida.
Figueroa’s work history scattered in the years that followed, including a stint for about a week as a correction officer in West Virginia in 2014.
Feeney explained that the police department is responsible for the application and background checks of prospective constables before they are submitted to the City Council for approval.
In order to become a constable, you must have at least three years of documented experience as a licensed constable or provide a certificate that shows that he or she received constable training.
In the state of Massachusetts, a constable can take custody of prisoners or property, if a warrant for a person’s arrest is directed to him. The constable then has permission to apprehend the suspect in any place across the Commonwealth.
Evans compared the work of a constable to a mailman and said that the job did not come with a license to carry a firearm.
