BOSTON - A newspaper reports that a Massachusetts man fatally shot this week in a confrontation with police was a hometown friend of actor Mark Wahlberg, who helped him get small movie roles.

The Boston Globe reported that 49-year-old Paul Campbell and Wahlberg were friends in Boston's Dorchester neighbourhood in their youth. Campbell was in a scene as a crack addict in "The Fighter" and had bit roles in "Ted" and "American Hustle."

Police say they were called Monday to the Weymouth house Campbell shared with his 72-year-old mother Patricia, and fired shots when they found him in an agitated state, holding at least one knife. They found his mother's body on the steps, apparently stabbed.