PIRATE’S FATAL SHOT! HORRIFYING BODYCAM CAPTURES DEADLY HARBOR GUN BATTLE ON STOLEN LUXURY SAILBOAT

NEWPORT, R.I. — The Newport Police Department has released body camera footage from a fatal August 26 officer-involved shooting in Newport Harbor, marking the first time the department has published a narrated “Critical Incident Community Debriefing” to explain a major use-of-force incident to the public.

The graphic presentation—combining body-worn camera video, home surveillance footage, and dispatch communications—details the violent showdown aboard Pathfinder, a vintage 40-foot Hinckley Bermuda 40 sailboat. Authorities say the luxury vessel had been stolen four days earlier from Liberty Landing Marina in Jersey City, New Jersey, before being spotted anchored off Newport’s North Anchorage with its stern-printed name scraped off.

According to police, a harbormaster ferried four Newport police officers to the vessel around 9:00 a.m. to investigate. As officers pulled alongside, video shows 27-year-old Newport resident Brendan Norris on deck. Despite repeated commands from police to stay on deck, Norris ignored orders and ducked below into the cabin.

Footage shows officers warning each other that Norris was rummaging inside the cabin before he opened fire from below deck. Debris from the gunfire hit an officer in the leg. Officers immediately returned fire into the cabin as one officer scrambled back onto the harbormaster’s vessel for safety.

When officers subsequently entered the lower deck, they found Norris unresponsive next to a handgun, suffering from a fatal head injury. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The wounded officer was treated at Newport Hospital and later released.

Newport Police Chief Ryan Duffy stated that the decision to release the comprehensive, narrated video was made in response to public requests and reflects a broader effort to strengthen transparency. Department officials cautioned, however, that video recordings represent only a single vantage point and may not capture everything officers perceived during rapid, high-stress split-second decisions.

Before making the footage public, police consulted with the City Solicitor’s Office, the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Office, and city communications officers to ensure the release would not compromise ongoing reviews. The shooting remains under investigation by the Rhode Island State Police and the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Office.