Suspect in officer shooting faces possible life sentence
PROVIDENCE — Though he has no prior criminal record, the 22-year-old Portsmouth man who allegedly shot a rookie Woonsocket cop in the leg Monday now faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison if he’s convicted of the crime.
Tyler Christopher Chandler was arraigned in Sixth District Court Tuesday on 13 felony counts, including use of a firearm during the commission of a crime of violence resulting in an injury to a police officer, which carries the automatic life minimum, State Prosecutor Peter Rocklin told the court.
Because all the charges against him are felonies, Chandler entered no plea to any of them, including six counts of assault with a deadly weapon, a firearm; five counts of discharging a firearm during a crime of violence; and possession of a pistol without a permit.
Wearing blue prison garb, Chandler hobbled into Judge Anthony Capraro’s courtroom in leg shackles and handcuffs, his left eye swollen shut and a large tattoo visible on his chest. He spoke softly and said little save for his date of birth and a muted “yes” when Capraro asked him if he wanted to be referred to the public defender’s office for legal representation.
The subject didn’t come up in court during Chandler’s brief appearance, but papers on file in the clerk’s office indicate that Chandler is on track for a court-ordered mental health evaluation.
In the meantime, Capraro ordered Chandler held without bail at the
Adult Correctional Institutions pending a review hearing on Sept. 18.
Chandler is accused of firing a semiautomatic handgun repeatedly at multiple police officers during two separate engagements in which four other officers returned fire, discharging many rounds. Young, the only policeman injured, was shot in the leg during one of the volleys on Elm Street and transported to Rhode Island Hospital for treatment. He was discharged several hours later and is now recovering at home with his family, according to Police Chief Thomas F. Oates III.
Lasting some four hours, the ordeal began around dawn Monday when a policeman on routine patrol saw Chandler walking on Cumberland Street while openly carrying a handgun and ordered him to stop. Chandler ran off as backup officers began arriving, locating the suspect near a Dumpster on Kendrick Avenue.
As police approached him, Chandler took off again, this time pointing the firearm and shooting multiple rounds at officers who were chasing him. The officers returned fire.
Chandler managed to elude police for a time, holing up in a patch of woods as a K-9 tried to sniff him out. He eventually emerged in the vicinity of Elm Street and resumed firing at police officers, striking Young in the upper left thigh.
The police chased Chandler in the parking lot of nearby Gateway Commons, a mill-to-condo conversion where he sought cover between two parked cars and refused to come out. Accompanied by members of the Special Response Team, clad in olive-green
military fatigues and toting rifles, state and local police attempted to talk Chandler into surrendering for nearly two hours. Although he tossed his firearm into a patch of vegetation at the periphery of the parking lot, he refused to budge, police say.
At one point, the police sent a rescue squad into the parking lot in attempts to appease Chandler, who had indicated that he would give up if the emergency vehicle were allowed in.
Ultimately, the police exploded two stun grenades – known as “concussion flash bangs” – in the parking lot. They detonated with a deafening, percussive blast that distracted Chandler long enough for police to subdue him.
Oates said Chandler was combative to the end, struggling violently with the officers who lunged for him after the flash bangs exploded and finally got him in handcuffs.
Four officers in all returned fire during episode – Detective Sgt. Matthew Richardson, Patrolman Zachary Bienkiewicz, Patrolman Brandon Macedo and Patrolman Daniel Wild. In a standard procedure for all officer-involved shootings, whether or not anyone is injured – the four policemen have been placed on administrative leave pending an internal review to determine whether their actions were procedurally justified. The probe will be carried out jointly by the WPD, the state police and the Office of the Attorney General.
Oates and other law enforcement officials initially said they wouldn’t be surprised if the total number of bullets fired by police during the episode was in the vicinity of two dozen. Oates said yesterday police have not yet determined how many shots were fired by the police, as the investigation is ongoing.
“That’s still under investigation,” he said. “We still haven’t taken a formal statement from Travis Young.”
A 2017 graduate of the Rhode Island Municipal Police Training Academy, Young has been a member of the WPD for only a few months. He was sworn in during a December 2017 ceremony with five other new recruits.
Questions still remain about Chandler and what may have prompted the morning of mayhem in the Social Flatlands.
On his Facebook page, Chandler describes himself as a gospel musician and espouses deeply held Christian beliefs.
One photo on social media shows him displaying the full chest tattoo that was only partially visibly in court. The tattoo depicts a Christian cross made from intertwined roses.
“God’s will has shown me the way to righteous living and eternal life in HEAVEN...” Chandler posted in June 2017. “Overall the roses, leaves, and vines symbolize my growth in complete repentance and most importantly the Christian Cross Crucifix shows the order that GOD has placed within my life around my growth so far. The order and structure that I have been blessed with allows me to serve The Lord Jesus Christ increasingly now and forever.”
The only criminal charges Chandler has ever faced in Rhode Island are those stemming from his arrest in Woonsocket on Monday, according to the judiciary’s website.
The website would list only charges originating in Rhode Island, but Amy Kempe, a spokeswoman for Attorney General Peter Kilmartin, said Chandler has never been previously arrested in any state.