Newport, Rhode Island: Police Release Bodycam Video of Fatal Sailboat Shooting

Newport police released body camera video on Friday afternoon from the fatal shooting aboard a stolen sailboat in Newport Harbor, giving the public its first full look at the August morning when officers boarded the vessel Pathfinder and a gunfight followed. The video was part of a recorded presentation led by Police Chief Ryan Duffy. The department said it was its first effort to release information in this form.

"The Newport Police Department is providing this critical incident community debriefing as a partner with our residents to ensure a safe city based upon transparency and trust," Duffy said in the presentation, according to the Providence Journal. Some clips, including footage from inside the cabin, were redacted, and the man aboard the boat was not named in the presentation.

What the video shows

The presentation opens above the deck of a 40-foot sailboat in the harbor's North Anchorage. An officer points a gun toward the man on board and yells, "Stay on the deck! Stay on the deck!" The man, identified in earlier reporting as Brendan Norris, 27, of Newport, does not stay. He darts below into the cabin.

As the harbormaster's craft bumps up against the sailboat, officers shout "Put your hands up" and "Hands, hands!" Three officers come aboard, one moving to the bow near an open forward hatch. Duffy said the officer on the bow saw the occupant rummaging inside the cabin and saw a metallic object that resembled a gun barrel. A gunshot was then heard from inside the cabin, Duffy said. Debris blew out and struck that officer in the face, and he felt an impact to his right leg. At that point, multiple officers opened fire. The video shows the officer on the bow aiming toward the hatch and firing.

After the gunfire, the officer announces that he has been hit. Officers later found the occupant unresponsive with a severe head injury and a firearm next to him, Duffy said, and police described the injury as significant and not compatible with life. The harbormaster towed the vessel to the Elm Street Pier, where firefighters determined that Norris was dead. NBC 10 WJAR reported that the suspect opened fire on police, grazing an officer, before he was shot and killed.

A boat stolen in New Jersey

Norris was suspected in the theft of Pathfinder, a custom-built Hinckley yawl, from Liberty Harbor Marina in Jersey City on August 23, the Journal reported. Officers approached the vessel at about 9 a.m. on August 26 after it was found anchored in Newport Harbor. WPRI reported that police say the suspect opened fire shortly after officers boarded the boat, which had been reported stolen out of New Jersey.

Investigation still open

The release does not close the case. Under the state's officer-involved shooting protocol, the Rhode Island State Police and Newport police continue to investigate the shooting, Duffy said. Friday's presentation also included an aerial view showing where police encountered the vessel in the North Anchorage. For Newport residents who asked for the video, the debriefing is the department's fullest public account so far of a shooting that began with a stolen boat report and ended with a man dead aboard it.