NEWPORT, RI — Newport police have released body camera footage showing a deadly gunfight on a stolen sailboat after officers moved in on the vessel in Newport Harbor earlier this year. Police say the confrontation ended with the suspect dead and one officer injured by shrapnel.
The video was made public Friday and includes both body camera and surveillance footage from the Aug. 26 incident. According to police, the sailboat had been reported stolen and was spotted after the harbormaster alerted authorities that it had entered the harbor.
Police Chief Ryan Duffy described the sequence in a recorded briefing that accompanied the footage. He said officers approached the boat after the harbormaster noticed its name had been scraped off the stern and identified it as a roughly 40-foot sailboat matching the stolen vessel.
Officers then drew their weapons as they closed in, setting off the exchange that would later be reviewed by investigators.
Harbormaster alert led officers to the vessel in Newport Harbor
Authorities said the tip came from the harbormaster after the sailboat was seen in Newport on Aug. 26. That observation mattered because the vessel was not just unfamiliar; police say it fit the description of a reported stolen boat and had identifying markings removed.
Duffy said the boat was a distinct model that matched the stolen vessel report, even with the name scraped from the stern. That detail helped officers confirm they were looking at the right boat before moving in on the harbor scene.
The footage shows police speeding toward the sailboat around 9 a.m., underscoring how quickly the encounter escalated once officers closed the distance. The incident unfolded on the water rather than on land, adding to the danger for everyone involved.
Newport police have not said where the vessel had been stolen from, but the connection between the harbor sighting and the earlier theft report triggered the response.
Police say Brendan Norris fired first before officers returned fire
Police identified the suspect as 27-year-old Brendan Norris. Investigators say he had the boat’s engine running and appeared to lift the anchor before dipping below deck as officers neared the sailboat.
Authorities said Norris fired the first shot during the confrontation. Police then returned fire, and Duffy said Norris was struck in the head. He died from his injuries at the scene.
The body camera video and surveillance footage released by police are meant to show how the exchange unfolded from the officers’ perspective. The material captures the approach, the drawn guns, and the rapid shift from an attempted stop to gunfire.
Officials have not said what led Norris to be on the boat or what his plans were once officers reached the vessel. The focus of the release was the sequence of the encounter itself and the force used during the exchange.
Officer hurt by shrapnel as bullets flew on the water
One officer was injured in the shootout, though police said the wound was not caused by a direct gunshot. Instead, the officer was hit by shrapnel and a bullet grazed his leg.
That injury was one of the reasons the department chose to publicly release the footage, along with the fatal outcome for the suspect. Police described the scene as a dangerous confrontation that unfolded very quickly once officers were close enough to engage.
Because the incident happened on a boat, the risk to officers and anyone nearby was heightened by the confined space and the movement of the vessel. The video release gives a clearer look at how close the officers were when the shooting started.
Police have not released additional details about the officer’s condition beyond saying he was hurt in the exchange.
Investigators are still reviewing the officer-involved shooting
Duffy said the case remains under joint investigation by Newport police and Rhode Island State Police. That review is being conducted under the attorney general’s officer-involved shooting protocol, which governs how such incidents are examined in the state.
The protocol means investigators will continue to review the facts surrounding the shooting, the actions of the officers, and the circumstances that led to the deadly encounter. The release of the video does not end that process.
Police have not announced any findings from the investigation, and no further conclusions were included in the public briefing. For now, the department’s focus is on documenting what happened and sharing the footage with the public.
The review will likely consider the harbormaster’s tip, the boat’s condition, the officers’ approach, and the moment the first shot was fired.
Fatal harbor confrontation adds new details to an earlier August case
The release of the footage gives the public a clearer picture of a case that began with a stolen boat report and ended in a fatal exchange on the water. What started as a harbor sighting in late August became a deadly officer-involved shooting that now sits under formal state review.
Police Chief Ryan Duffy used the briefing to walk viewers through the harbormaster’s observation, the officers’ approach, and the gunfire that followed. By pairing the video with his explanation, the department aimed to show how the sequence developed in real time.
The case has drawn attention because of the unusual setting and the speed of the confrontation. A sailboat, an apparent theft, and an armed encounter in the harbor made the incident stand out even before the body camera footage was made public.
NBC 10’s Ryan Medeiros contributed to the report on the release.
