Bodycam Video Shows Marina Shootout With Alleged Sailboat Pirate in Wealthy Resort Town

Dramatic body-camera footage captures the deadly confrontation between Newport police officers and a man suspected of stealing a boat in Newport, Rhode Island.

The Newport Police Department released the video Friday, several weeks after the August shooting.

Officers responded on Aug. 26 to a report of a stolen sailboat in Newport Harbor. According to police, the suspect began firing just seconds after officers reached the vessel.

Police returned fire. In his body-camera audio, one officer can be heard repeatedly reporting that he had been shot in the leg.

The suspect was ultimately shot and pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators said the sailboat appeared to be the Pathfinder, a vessel reported stolen from Liberty Harbor Marina in Jersey City, New Jersey.

Police confirmed to News Media that Brendan Norris, 27, is the man suspected of taking the boat from the New Jersey marina and traveling with it to Rhode Island.

News Media contacted the Newport Police Department for additional information.

After the boat disappeared, individuals who said they were friends of its owner posted appeals on social media in August, urging the public to watch for the missing vessel. The boat was described as a “2 masted Yawl Hinckley Bermuda 40,” according to the post.

In a statement accompanying the release, the department said its purpose was to give the public and media “an accurate, factual, and transparent presentation of the incident,” helping viewers understand the circumstances surrounding the officers’ actions.

The Newport Police Department said Rhode Island State Police are assisting with a joint investigation into the shooting.