Suspect in Falmouth cops’ shooting had jumped R.I. bail
The Cape Codder accused of trying to murder two Falmouth patrolmen while ranting about litter is a wanted man in Rhode Island, having jumped bail on a case in which he allegedly apologized to a cop for “all his brothers out there that hate you.”
Malik Antonio Koval, 21, of Falmouth, charged in Westerly, R.I., with trying to evade a high-speed police pursuit, was a no-show at his Dec. 15, 2017, arraignment at Rhode Island’s 4th Division District Court after being freed on $100 cash bail a month earlier, according to the court. There was an active warrant for Koval’s arrest Friday when he allegedly shot Falmouth officers Donald DeMiranda and Ryan Moore after “throwing and smashing glass bottles in the street and complaining of trash throughout the neighborhood,” according to a state police report. DeMiranda and Moore are recovering. Koval was also shot in the exchange and was arraigned Tuesday in his hospital bed.
On Nov. 25, 2017, Westerly, R.I., officer Dean Waterman was tending to a twovehicle crash when a third car with tinted windows, allegedly driven by Koval, pulled up to the scene. Waterman later reported “there was an overwhelming smell of marijuana that exited the vehicle” when Koval rolled down his window, and a “baggy of marijuana in the center console area in plain view.”
According to Waterman, “Koval’s eyes were bloodshot. He smiled and looked at me and said, ‘I love you officer.’ He asked if he could talk to me for a minute. Malik repeated that he loved me and that he was sorry for ‘all his brothers out there that hate you.’ Koval also said that he knew I was ‘there to protect him.’ ”
When Koval allegedly began rummaging around the car, Waterman said he became fearful for his safety and called the license plate into dispatch. As Koval drove off, Waterman alerted K-9 officer Timothy Manfredi, “There is something wrong with that guy. Stop him. He was acting bizarre.” Waterman concluded his report by noting that after Koval’s arrest, Koval stripped naked in his cell and was throwing toilet water at the walls “as if it was holy water.”
Koval is being held without bail in Massachusetts pending an Aug. 23 dangerousness hearing in Falmouth District Court. His public defender said she is hiring a forensic psychologist.