Officer injured, suspect dead after shootout on stolen sailboat in Newport Harbor
Body camera footage released by Newport Police shows officers boarding a stolen New Jersey sailboat before gunfire erupted from the cabin. One officer was wounded; the suspect died at the scene.
Body camera footage captures Newport Harbor sailboat shootout
Newly released body camera video shows officers boarding a stolen 40-foot sailboat in Newport Harbor, Rhode Island, moments before a gunshot from inside the cabin triggered an exchange of fire that left one officer injured and the suspect dead, police1.com reports.
The incident took place on 26 August, when a harbormaster noticed a vessel anchored in Newport Harbor that matched the description of the Pathfinder, a sailboat reported stolen out of New Jersey. Its name had been scraped from the stern, Newport Police Chief Ryan Duffy said.
After spotting someone on board, the harbormaster contacted officers to investigate. The boat's engine was running, and the man appeared to be raising the anchor as officers drew alongside.
Despite repeated commands to stay on deck and show his hands, the suspect moved toward the cabin. Officers boarded the vessel. One officer at the bow observed the man searching inside the cabin and spotted a metallic object he believed resembled a gun barrel, Duffy said.
A shot fired from inside the cabin sent debris into an officer's face; the same officer also felt an impact to his right leg. Officers returned fire.
The body camera recording captures the intensity of the exchange. "Shots fired! Shots fired!" one officer calls out. "Reload! Reload!" another shouts. Officers continued ordering the man to show his hands before one announced, "I got a suspect down."
"Who's been hit?" a colleague asks. "I'm in the leg. Relax," the wounded officer responds. "Everybody chill."
After the shooting stopped, officers repositioned, reloaded and re-entered the cabin, where they found the suspect unresponsive with a severe head injury and a firearm beside him, Duffy said.
The harbormaster towed the sailboat to Elm Street Pier. Fire personnel confirmed the man was dead at the scene. The injured officer was transported to Newport Hospital.
Newport Police and Rhode Island State Police are jointly investigating the incident under the state attorney general's officer-involved shooting protocol. The investigation remains ongoing.
Source: Google News MT — Crime (en)