Rhode Island Police Fatally Shoot Suspected Sailboat Bandit
Officers exchanged gunfire with a man who stole a luxury vessel and fired at them, resulting in the suspect's death and an officer's injury.
Intense body camera footage captured the moment Rhode Island police officers engaged in a fatal shootout with a suspected sailboat bandit who had fired at them aboard a luxury vessel he had stolen from a New Jersey marina.
Brendan Norris, 27, was spotted aboard the stolen 1968 Hinkley Bermuda 40, named Pathfinder, which was moored in Rhode Island's Newport Marina. Four Newport officers approached the vessel on August 26.
According to body camera footage released by Newport Police Chief Ryan Duffy, Norris was seen on deck preparing to raise the anchor with the engines running. He then retreated below deck. "Sir, stay on the deck," one officer shouted, pointing his weapon at the sailboat.
As two officers boarded the vessel, Norris allegedly fired at least one shot, striking one officer in the leg. Police returned fire, discharging their weapons for approximately 19 seconds in the direction of Norris.
During the exchange of gunfire, two officers moved from the stolen boat to a nearby harbormaster's vessel to avoid the shots. "Shots fired, shots fired. One hit," an officer can be heard saying over the radio.
The wounded officer sustained shrapnel injuries to the face and a gunshot wound to the leg. He moved to the cabin entrance where he found Norris. "I’ve got a suspect down. I have my eyes on him," the officer reported over his radio.
Norris was pronounced dead at the scene from a fatal gunshot wound to the head. The injured officer was hospitalized in stable condition and has since returned to duty.
Authorities allege Norris stole the Pathfinder from the Liberty Harbor Marina in Jersey City on August 22. Security footage reportedly showed Norris at the marina for about 90 minutes before commandeering the boat. He then navigated the vessel down the Upper Bay and under the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge before allegedly disabling its transponder system.
The boat's owner, Jim Bonomo, reported the Pathfinder missing on August 23. He had alerted marinas along the East Coast to be on the lookout for his boat, which he had owned for 10 years.
The harbormaster in Newport recognized the vessel matching the description of the stolen Pathfinder, noting that its name had been removed from the stern. The harbormaster contacted the police, leading to the confrontation in the harbor shortly after 9 a.m. on August 26.