CRANSTON − Eleven local police officers employed deadly force that was "reasonable and necessary" last year when they opened fire on an armed man whose own gunfire had slain two people and injured a teenager in Johnston , according to the office of Attorney General Peter F. Neronha .
James Harrison was shot 10 times, with two of those shots hitting him in the head, says the 21-page report released by Neronha's office on Thursday.
The confrontation between police and the bearded triple-shooting suspect took place on May 24 on a grassy roadside area near the Board of Elections.
This was after Harrison had led police on a dangerous pursuit through local roads over a period of roughly seven minutes.
State police investigators determined that 10 Cranston officers and one Providence officer fired 141 rounds toward Harrison during the encounter just off Plainfield Pike, the report says.
Harrison drew the fusillade when he emerged from an SUV and aimed a silver handgun at Cranston police Officer Brendan Burke, according to the report, which is supported by body-camera video from officers at the scene and one video from a bystander.
Homicide suspect's handgun was a silver Colt
The gun that Harrison pointed, a Colt .45 semiautomatic, was found under his body, the report says, adding that the gun had no bullet in the chamber, but its magazine was loaded and the safety was off.
Burke, who fired six shots from behind an electrical utility box, was not injured.
The officer's position was 21 feet away from the SUV, which Harrison had crashed into a rock.
Officers 'in no rush to engage' at scene on Plainfield Pike
Quite notably, police had surrounded Harrison at a distance, and "there was no rush to engage him," and police did not immediately fire when the suspect emerged from the car, says the report.
"The video evidence confirms that police fired only once Harrison visibly outstretched his arm and pointed his gun at officers … in front of him," says the report, written by Assistant Attorney General Daniel Guglielmo and Deputy Attorney General Adi Goldstein.
The legal analysis is based on an extensive review of body-camera video as well as statements provided by 27 police officers, 514 crime scene photos and other evidence. The body-camera videos are posted on the website of the Cranston police.
Some officers interviewed by investigators believed, erroneously, that Harrison had fired his gun when he had not, the report says.
"Considering the high-stress and chaotic scene, it is not surprising that some officers were mistaken," says the report, adding that Harrison gave no indication that he intended to surrender and his pointing of the handgun was "sufficient justification under the law" for the officers' use of deadly force.
Providence police Officer Jared Stanzione, it says, told them that from his vantage point behind the driver's-side door of a police cruiser, he did not think Harrison had fired.
But Stanzione told them he had seen Harrison point the gun at other officers, the report says.
Stanzione, it says, thought he might have been the first officer to shoot.
"I don't know," he told them, "I … thought I was, but … you know, it happened so quick."
"… it was almost simultaneous," he told them in a second interview.
In one body-camera video, Burke yells for other officers to turn off their sirens. There were calls for support from officers armed with rifles.
Two officers would eventually fire nearly 50 rounds from high-powered rifles.
"This was an extremely dangerous situation that exposed the officers and nearby civilians to imminent risk of death or serious bodily injury," the report says.
None of the projectiles that hit Harrison were distinctive enough for identification, the report says.
"It is impossible to conclusively determine which of the officers fired the projectiles that hit Harrison's body."
After the carnage, gunman visits cemetery, leads police in high-speed chase
Earlier that morning, Johnston police identified Harrison as a suspect in the shooting death of Thomas May, a neighbor who'd lived next door to Harrison's home in the Simmonsville section of Johnston.
Harrison was also wanted for attempting to kill May's daughter, shooting her multiple times and inflicting what the report describes as "grievous" injury.
His mother, Janet Harrison, had been shot to death in a home on Ligian Court.
By 8:30 a.m., officers around the state were looking for a dark blue Buick SUV driven by Harris, and at 9:30 a.m. Harrison had been spotted near St. Ann Cemetery in Cranston. Soon, Cranston police were following him.
The radio communications recorded in the body camera video make ominous references to crashes as Harrison tries to elude police.
Driving westbound on Plainfield Pike near Interstate 295, Harrison crossed a median, traveling in the opposite direction of oncoming cars into traffic, hitting two cruisers. Just beyond the 295 overpass, he lost control of the Buick and crashed.
Cranston chief not surprised by findings
Cranston's police chief, Col. Michael J. Winquist , said Thursday that he isn't surprised by the report's findings.
"I felt that they did what they had to do," he said. "I'm glad none of them were hurt."
He emphasized that the Cranston police officers who were involved "performed at the highest level."
He added that he looks forward to honoring them with an award ceremony.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Investigation says officers shot 141 bullets at suspected killer in 2023
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