Shooting of Ex-Acting New Bedford, MA, Fire Chief Justified, Officials Rule
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The fatal shooting of a former acting New Bedford fire chief outside a bar in Fairhaven in December 2023 was justified, the Bristol County District Attorney’s office determined, finding that police officers acted in self-defense when they opened fire on the man.
Paul Coderre Jr., 55, was shot and killed by police officers outside the Bayside Lounge in Fairhaven on Dec. 29, 2023. On that day, Coderre, who was fired from his post in New Bedford after he was accused of lying about injuries he sustained on the job, had learned the city intended to appeal a civil service ruling in his favor.
That day, Coderre, an active member of the Bristol County Fire Chiefs Association, met fellow members at the lounge for drinks, as they did most Fridays. Coderre drank heavily and ordered two rounds of shots for the group, according to a report released by the district attorney’s office Thursday afternoon.
One member of the group who was concerned about his drinking texted Coderre’s wife saying her husband needed a ride home. When she arrived at the bar, she told police, her husband was upset by her presence, which was unusual.
Coderre seemed agitated with her and turned his back. Later, when they left the bar at her request, Coderre demanded his wife, who had taken his car keys, allow him to drive home and punched the window of his truck to get to a set of spare keys.
He became increasingly verbally aggressive toward his wife and began swearing at her.
“This was highly concerning and unusual to Mrs. Coderre as she told investigators that her husband had never spoken to her in that manner,” the report reads.
Coderre’s wife asked one of his friends to leave the bar and come help, at which point Coderre accused the friend of calling his wife and grabbing him by the throat, slamming him against his truck and breaking the remaining glass in the driver’s side window.
Another friend came outside of the bar and asked the group what was going on, at which point, the report says, Coderre “went at” his friends. He then pulled out his gun and pointed it at his wife and later fired a shot into the air after being told to put the gun away.
Coderre’s wife said she was afraid her husband was going to shoot her and his friends.
She later told investigators she had never seen him behave like that and that she believed he was having a psychotic break. She also said he had recently been prescribed a new medication for back pain and that since the switch, he had become more agitated.
A 911 caller reported to Fairhaven Police at 4:50 p.m. that an intoxicated man was attempting to drive himself home. In subsequent interviews, the caller said he heard someone in the parking lot say, “Don’t pull your gun” and later heard a gunshot.
When the first Fairhaven police officer arrived, Coderre “appeared to have his right hand on his right hip and his left hand extended outward.”
During an ensuing standoff, Coderre told police, “There is no coming back from this” and “I don’t want to hurt anyone.” He also informed officers that he had a gun. Coderre also told police, “Someone else decided for me, this is how it is going to be” and “This isn’t going to end well for me, I know this isn’t going to end well for me,” according to the report.
“He told the police that the situation was going to end “one of two ways, you guys are going to shoot me or I’m going to shoot me.” He added that “this is how this is going to end.” He told the police, “Don’t lose any sleep over this, this is my decision.”
“Mr. Coderre became increasingly insistent that he was either going to kill himself or force the police to shoot him,” the report reads.
Police officers attempted a variety of non-lethal measures to subdue Coderre, including deploying a taser and firing several beanbag rounds at him. But the taser failed to subdue him and only one of the beanbags struck him. The beanbag had “little to no effect.”
Seconds later, Coderre took out his gun, turned and pointed it at the officers. At that point, he began firing, hitting one officer from Acushnet in the leg. Officers then returned fire, hitting him, and Coderre dropped to the ground. He was later pronounced dead at a hospital.
The district attorney’s office determined the use of deadly force was “consistent with the severity of the situation and with each department’s internal policies.”
“The use of force was not excessive because Mr. Coderre was actively shooting at police officers, striking one of them,” the report reads. “Lethal force was necessary to prevent officers from suffering serious bodily injury and/or death.”
The report also notes that most of the incident was captured on body camera and police cruiser footage, which supported police accounts of the shooting.
“Based on a review of all the facts and circumstances related to this incident, there is no basis to conclude that the responding police officers committed a crime,” the report reads.
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