FAIR HAVEN, MA - According to local authorities, former New Bedford Interim Fire Chief Paul Coderre was fatally shot by police after he first reportedly fired his weapon at the officers, injuring one police officer in the exchange of gunfire.
CBS News reported that Fairhaven police along with officers from surrounding communities responded to a 911 call about an altercation at the Bayside Lounge on Sconticut Road around 5:00 p.m. on Friday, December 29th. Bristol County District Attorney Thomas Quinn stated that Coderre, 55, had been drinking in the lounge with friends during the afternoon hours and was said to be intoxicated.
He added, "There was an altercation inside the lounge that led to him going outside. He attempted to get in the vehicle and was stopped." Responding officers realized that Coderre was armed with a firearm, so they attempted to de-escalate the situation by talking to Coderre. When verbal communication did not work, the officers tried to subdue him with a Taser.
Quinn said, "Those attempts were not successful. At some point, he fired his gun. Police returned fire and as a result of that, Paul Coderre died." One of the responding officers, an Acushnet police officer, was shot in the leg. He was taken to the hospital and released on the night of Friday, December 29th.
According to reports, Quinn stressed during the news conference that it appeared as though police tried multiple times to negotiate with Coderre, as the incident unfolded over several hours. He said, "Several other means of de-escalation were used that were not successful. Police tried to talk to Mr. Coderre for a period of time. Several departments responded, so there were several attempts made to subdue him without using deadly force. He eventually fired his weapon."
On X, New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell, a former federal prosecutor, wrote, "This evening's fatal shooting in Fairhaven was tragic in every sense. I am relieved that the officer who was injured will make a full recovery and that no one else was seriously hurt."
In January 2022, Coderre was fired by Mitchell for "dishonesty and untruthfulness" in connection with "alleged work-related injuries." A video of him lifting heavy items despite being on injured leave from work surfaced, causing an investigation. Mitchell said that surveillance video showed Coderre lifting a 176-pound barbeque smoker grill from the bed of his pickup truck.
According to the investigation, Coderre had been out on leave since August of 2020 and was paid more than $208,000 during that time. Mitchell said Coderre took advantage of city taxpayers and betrayed the trust of the firefighters who served under him. He said that an independent medical examiner concluded that Coderre had been "untruthful" and "putting on an act" after examining the video surveillance.
Mitchell said in a statement at the time, "New Bedford residents expect and deserve a Fire Department whose every member adheres to the highest professional standards, regardless of rank."
In his final statements during the news conference on Friday, December 29th, Quinn said, "More and more there are less lethal situations that police are confronted with. There are so many guns on the streets. We are going to continue to investigate this. We want to commend the police for dealing with a life and death situation, trying to use non-deadly force until they were left with no alternative."
CBS News reported that Fairhaven police along with officers from surrounding communities responded to a 911 call about an altercation at the Bayside Lounge on Sconticut Road around 5:00 p.m. on Friday, December 29th. Bristol County District Attorney Thomas Quinn stated that Coderre, 55, had been drinking in the lounge with friends during the afternoon hours and was said to be intoxicated.
He added, "There was an altercation inside the lounge that led to him going outside. He attempted to get in the vehicle and was stopped." Responding officers realized that Coderre was armed with a firearm, so they attempted to de-escalate the situation by talking to Coderre. When verbal communication did not work, the officers tried to subdue him with a Taser.
Quinn said, "Those attempts were not successful. At some point, he fired his gun. Police returned fire and as a result of that, Paul Coderre died." One of the responding officers, an Acushnet police officer, was shot in the leg. He was taken to the hospital and released on the night of Friday, December 29th.
According to reports, Quinn stressed during the news conference that it appeared as though police tried multiple times to negotiate with Coderre, as the incident unfolded over several hours. He said, "Several other means of de-escalation were used that were not successful. Police tried to talk to Mr. Coderre for a period of time. Several departments responded, so there were several attempts made to subdue him without using deadly force. He eventually fired his weapon."
On X, New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell, a former federal prosecutor, wrote, "This evening's fatal shooting in Fairhaven was tragic in every sense. I am relieved that the officer who was injured will make a full recovery and that no one else was seriously hurt."
In January 2022, Coderre was fired by Mitchell for "dishonesty and untruthfulness" in connection with "alleged work-related injuries." A video of him lifting heavy items despite being on injured leave from work surfaced, causing an investigation. Mitchell said that surveillance video showed Coderre lifting a 176-pound barbeque smoker grill from the bed of his pickup truck.
According to the investigation, Coderre had been out on leave since August of 2020 and was paid more than $208,000 during that time. Mitchell said Coderre took advantage of city taxpayers and betrayed the trust of the firefighters who served under him. He said that an independent medical examiner concluded that Coderre had been "untruthful" and "putting on an act" after examining the video surveillance.
Mitchell said in a statement at the time, "New Bedford residents expect and deserve a Fire Department whose every member adheres to the highest professional standards, regardless of rank."
In his final statements during the news conference on Friday, December 29th, Quinn said, "More and more there are less lethal situations that police are confronted with. There are so many guns on the streets. We are going to continue to investigate this. We want to commend the police for dealing with a life and death situation, trying to use non-deadly force until they were left with no alternative."
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Comments
2024-01-02T15:20-0600 | Comment by: Laurence
He should know better. Karma in action. You make a choice, you take the consequences.
2024-01-02T16:27-0600 | Comment by: Michael
Sad situation, but the "There are so many guns on the streets." comment was not relevant and totally unrelated to his preceding comment; in fact, they seemed to be in opposite directions. Guess a blue state DA can't help but interject a non-rational jab at the 2A.