1 DEAD, 1 HURT IN HIGHWAY SHOOTING
Providence chase ends in hail of police bullets
One man was killed and a woman was seriously injured by police officers on Interstate 95 in Providence yesterday that authorities initially believed was related to a prisoner who escaped custody by stealing the state police cruiser in which he was being taken to court, officials said.
The police chase of a white pickup truck that ended in a hail of bullets about 10:45 a.m. came less than two hours after police say 35-year-old Donald Morgan of Providence stole a police cruiser when the trooper taking him to court got out to check on an accident scene.
And though police initially said the cruiser theft and the subsequent shooting were related, they later announced that the man killed by police wasn’t Morgan.
Officers responding to a reported car chase on a stretch of interstate that skirts the city’s downtown and Providence Place Mall converged on the white pickup, which was blocked in by other cars, police said.
Police didn’t release the name of the man who was killed or the woman who was injured last night.
Providence Public Safety Commissioner Steven Pare said the woman was rushed to Rhode Island Hospital with serious injuries.
Pare said they’re reviewing footage from body cameras the responding officers were wearing. No officers were hurt.
“We are actively investigating all the circumstances. There are multiple officers involved in the shooting, and we have one person that is deceased,” Pare said.
Investigators could be seen scouring the area around the truck for spent shell casings last night.
Meanwhile, authorities searched into the night for Morgan, who police said was being taken to court to face charges of obstruction and possession of a stolen vehicle when he made off in the cruiser while handcuffed about 9 a.m. when the vehicle stopped on Route 146.
Rhode Island State Police Col. Ann Assumpico said the trooper taking Morgan to court stepped out to check on an accident.
“I know the trooper did leave the vehicle for a short time,” she told reporters. “You have to understand, when we come upon an accident on the highway, it is our duty to check on the welfare of the people.”
The cruiser was found within the hour abandoned in Providence.