Police in Newport, Rhode Island, have released body-camera footage of a deadly shootout aboard a sailboat that had been reported stolen from New Jersey.
The incident took place on August 26 in Newport Harbor. The suspect, 27-year-old Brendan Norris of Newport, was killed, and a police officer was shot in the leg.
The boat, a 40-foot 1968 Hinckley Bermuda 40 yawl named Pathfinder, was stolen on August 23 from Liberty Harbor Marina in Jersey City. Police said the suspect disabled the boat's transponder at the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, and authorities lost track of it.
Three days later, the Newport harbormaster spotted the boat anchored offshore, its name scraped off the stern. After seeing someone moving around on board, the harbormaster called for police assistance. Shortly after 9 a.m., he brought four officers out to the vessel. According to Police Chief Ryan Duffy, the engine was running as they approached.
The footage shows officers ordering Norris to stay on deck and show his hands. Instead, he went below into the cabin. Police said a shot was then fired from inside the cabin. Debris struck one officer in the face, and he was hit in the right leg. Officers returned fire.
When the gunfire stopped, officers found Norris unresponsive in the cabin with a gun beside him. Duffy said he had a severe head injury and was pronounced dead at the scene.
The wounded officer, identified at a City Council meeting as Sergeant Jack Billings, was treated at Newport Hospital. The officers involved have since returned to work.
The department said it released the video to give the public an accurate and transparent account of the incident. The shooting remains under joint investigation by Newport Police and Rhode Island State Police.
