Anthony Harden Estate files lawsuit, Fall River Police Department issues statement; here are the details

An incident that resulted in a fatal shooting in Fall River 3 years ago has resulted in legal action and a response from FRPD.

Attorney Eric Mack, in care of the estate of Antone Harden, has filed a civil lawsuit against the City of Fall River, former Chief Jeffrey Cardoza, and other officers believed to be involved in the case.

On November 22, 2021, Harden was fatally shot in his apartment on Melville Street by an officer during a reported struggle with another officer after Fall River Police arrived at his home concerning a domestic violence investigation.

Mack has contended that his brother was shot while unarmed and that officers involved attempted to cover their tracks.

The Bristol County District Attorney’s Office concluded in April of 2022 that the fatal shooting of Harden was justified, and that Harden was armed with a knife.

The Harden Estate has placed several television commercials recently and created a website offering a $10,000 reward and requesting anonymous tips concerning the death of Harden. They have also released excerpts from interviews involving those at the scene addressing the knife in question.

The Estate has stated that despite winning a lawsuit against the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office requiring the release of records in the case, vital pieces of information are still missing.

On Thursday, the Fall River Police Department issued the following statement in response to the lawsuit:

“On Friday, November 8, 2024, Attorney Eric B. Mack who represents the Estate of Anthony Harden filed a Federal Lawsuit against the Fall River Police Department and the City of Fall River. Prior to this filing, Attorney Mack has gone on a media campaign attempting to slander the brave men and women of our agency and discredit the investigation conducted by the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office. We felt that it was important to issue the following statement in the wake of Attorney Mack filing his formal lawsuit.

“Following the tragic incident involving Mr. Anthony Harden, the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office conducted a comprehensive investigation of the circumstances of the incident and the actions of police officers that evening. [Link to Investigation: http://bristolda.com/bristol-district-attorney-anthony…/]

“Undoubtably, this is a tragedy, but the facts confirmed by the investigation show that the response by the officers that evening was justified based on Mr. Harden’s attack on the officers. In understanding what occurred, it is important to consider that Mr. Harden had a troubling history of domestic violence. He also had previously demonstrated his resistance and lack of compliance toward law enforcement.

“In 2013, a female who was in a relationship with Mr. Harden reported that he assaulted her and tore her clothing. He damaged her car and hit it with a skateboard causing damage. A restraining order against Mr. Harden was issued because of this incident. He was charged with assault and battery as well as vandalizing property.

“Five years ago today, November 14, 2019, Mr. Harden was again involved in a domestic violence incident. He was accused of punching, slapping, strangling, hitting the female victim with a stick, as well as threatening her with a knife. As a result of this report, officers went to the residence to arrest Mr. Harden. When the police arrived and knocked on the door, he answered it holding his 5-month-old child and brandishing a sword. A three-and-a-half-hour standoff with police ensued, during which he repeatedly threatened that he would be “squeezing [the infant] to death” if they tried to “rush” him. Mr. Harden also made Facebook recordings while holding his daughter saying, “There are some cool cops, but they’re going to have to kill a n***** today or meet my demands because I’m not giving in…”

“Eventually, through the negotiations with police, he was taken into custody. After a dangerousness hearing, the court released Mr. Harden ordering that he wear a GPS bracelet and be placed in home confinement. Despite the court’s order, Mr. Harden made threats to the victim. A restraining order was also issued as a result of this incident.

“In November of 2021, two officers went to his residence because a female who he was in a relationship with reported that he had assaulted her. The female warned that he told her “if [she] calls the police [he] will die.” It was also reported to officers that he could be expected to use anything for a weapon. Officers went to his residence to take him into custody. While interacting with Mr. Harden he suddenly attacked an officer with a knife. The second officer was forced to take action to protect the other officer from serious injury or death. These facts were confirmed by the District Attorney’s investigation. At the time of this incident, which is the subject of the lawsuit, Mr. Harden was still on release awaiting trial for the 2019 incident.

“Attorney Mack has made serious allegations of wrongdoing by the Fall River Police Department. That is the right of every citizen, and the Court will decide where the truth lies. We are confident that the officers acted not only bravely but appropriately given the circumstances.

“We want to add that it is regrettable that Attorney Mack is attempting to continually publicly traumatize one of the officers involved. That officer is a survivor of domestic violence and does not deserve to be re-victimized by Attorney Mack’s attempts to discredit her. Attorney Mack also continues to cast unfounded allegations on the officer’s fitness for duty, based solely on his own subjective opinion. Such statements are irrelevant to this case and raise serious questions about the ethical nature of the lawsuit.

“The attorney’s approach has unfairly called into question the integrity and character of the dedicated men and women who serve the city with honor each day.”