Dramatic bodycam footage captures the deadly exchange of gunfire between Newport police officers and a man suspected of stealing a sailboat in Rhode Island.
The Newport Police Department released the video Friday, several months after the August confrontation.
Officers responded on Aug. 26 to a report of a stolen sailboat in Newport Harbor. According to police, the suspect began firing just seconds after officers arrived.
Police returned fire. In his bodycam recording, one officer can be heard repeatedly reporting that he had been shot in the leg.
Newport officers approached a sailboat reported stolen in Newport Harbor on Aug. 26. (Newport Police Department)
The suspect was later shot and pronounced dead at the scene. Police said the sailboat resembled the “Pathfinder,” a vessel reported stolen from Liberty Harbor Marina in Jersey City, New Jersey.
Police confirmed to News Outlet that 27-year-old Brendan Norris is the man accused of taking the boat from the marina and traveling from New Jersey to Rhode Island.
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News Outlet contacted the Newport Police Department for additional comment.
The suspect died after the exchange of gunfire, while one officer suffered a gunshot wound to the leg. (Newport Police Department)
Several social media posts shared in August by people who said they knew the boat’s owner urged the public to watch for the missing vessel. The posts identified it as a two-masted Hinckley Bermuda 40 yawl.
After releasing the footage, the police department said its purpose was to offer the public and media “an accurate, factual, and transparent presentation of the incident,” helping viewers understand the circumstances surrounding the officers’ actions.
Newport Police Chief Ryan Duffy announced that the bodycam footage would be made public. (Newport Police Department)
The Newport Police Department said the investigation is being conducted jointly with the Rhode Island State Police.
Newport is a popular destination for visitors exploring Rhode Island. (Visions of America/Joseph Sohm/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
