Fontaine's court arraignment was held at his hospital bed instead of the courthouse due to the nature of his gunshot injuries.
This is an update of a story that was posted at 1:27 p.m. Wednesday
PALMER - A 17-year-old teen who was shot by Palmer police during a Monday night standoff while he was armed with an air gun was formally charged Wednesday with multiple weapons charges from his hospital bed at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center.
Shawn R. Fontaine denied the seven charges against him during an arraignment conducted in his hospital room, where he is recovering from two gunshot wounds, according to information issued by the office of Hampden District Attorney Mark Mastroianni.
He was charged with six counts of assault with a dangerous weapon and a single count of carrying a dangerous weapon.
Hampden DA Mark MastroianniJudge Paul F. Loconto ordered Fontaine be held in lieu of $20,000 cash bail or a $200,000 surety.
The Hampden County Sheriff’s Department will take charge of guarding Fontaine while he is hospitalized. He is expected to remain in the hospital for at least the next several days.
He is due in Palmer District Court for a pre-trial conference on July 29.
Fontaine’s lawyer is Michael Kallock of West Springfield.
Wednesday’s arraignment was held in the hospital instead of a courtroom because of the nature of Fontaine’s injuries. He was shot once in the chest and once in the ankle during a stand-off with police outside 22 Pinney St. in Palmer on Monday night.
A woman at that address called 911 to report that a man she knew and who had threatened her previously was outside the house and armed with a gun. She reported he was pounding on the door and demanding entry, according to Palmer police.
When police arrived minutes later, they spotted Fontaine who they said pointed a handgun at them, causing the officers to scurry for cover, according to police.
The standoff continued for several moments during which time Fontaine refused to obey repeated commands to drop the weapon, police said.
According to police, an officer opened fire, striking Fontaine twice, after he walked to within 10 feet of where the officer was positioned.
Officers on the scene did not know Fontaine was armed with a carbon-dioxide powered pellet gun until after he was in custody.
The shooting remains under investigation.
State police detectives assigned to Mastroianni’s office are investigating the shooting and the circumstances that led up to it.
Robert P. FrydrykNo other information on the investigation will be released until it is completed, according to Mastroianni’s office.
The identity of the officer involved in the shooting remains secret.
Palmer Police Chief Robert P. Frydryk would say only that the officer is an eight-year-veteran of the department.
The officer has been placed on administrative leave pending completion on an investigation, Frydryk said.
“This is not a punitive action, but is standard police procedure of an incident of this type,” Frydryk said.
“I am confident that once it is complete, the district attorney’s investigation will establish what we firmly believe, that the officer acted appropriately and the use of force was justified given the circumstances,” he said.