A man suspected of stealing a luxury boat from New Jersey was shot dead by police during a 19-second confrontation at a marina in Rhode Island, officials said. One officer was injured in the exchange.
Brendan Norris, 27, was being sought in connection with the alleged theft of a 1968 Hinckley Bermuda 40 named Pathfinder. The vessel had been taken to Newport Marina, where its owner spotted Norris aboard at about 9am on 26 August.
Police arrived as Norris was working above deck, according to bodycam footage shared by Chief Ryan Duffy. When he saw the officers, he allegedly ran inside and hid below deck.
An officer warned: “Sir, stay on the deck.” Police said Norris did not comply and that shots were then fired.
Authorities said Norris fired at least one shot after two officers boarded the boat. The officer closest to him was struck in the leg and face by shrapnel.
“Shots fired, shots fired. One hit,” an officer can be heard saying over the radio in the footage.
The injured officer was taken to hospital in a stable condition and had not returned to work, Chief Duffy said. An officer who went below deck found Norris dead with a gunshot wound to the head.
“I’ve got a suspect down. I have my eyes on him,” the officer said.
Chief Duffy said: “The party armed himself with a firearm and shots were fired. The suspect is deceased.”
The alleged theft of Pathfinder
Police said Pathfinder was stolen during a late-night incident at Liberty Harbor Marina in Jersey City on 22 August. Its owner, Jim Bonomo, arrived at the dock with his wife the following day and discovered that the boat, which he had owned for ten years, was missing.
“I literally pulled up to the gate, and looked at my dock, and was like, ‘Where’s the boat?’” Bonomo said.
Surveillance footage allegedly showed Norris walking around the marina before the theft. Police said he disabled the vessel’s transponder system, which is used to track it, and scraped its name from the stern.
Bonomo said he did not know Norris and learned about the shooting through social media. “I don’t understand why something like that would happen from just stealing a boat,” he said. “It’s a tragic end. I’m really sorry that that’s how it ended.”
